The Bulgarian labour market was open to citizens from EU member countries, who were to have the same rights as Bulgarians, Labour and Social Policy Ministry representative Vladimir Kalchev said.

According to data for the first nine months of 2006 Bulgaria issued work permits to citizens of Austria, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Romania and Italy, Focus news agency reported.

Unemployment in Bulgaria was eight per cent, Kalchev said. The country had 300 000 work places available over the past year. Private companies opened most work places.

Polling agencies said that the number of Bulgarian workers seeking employment abroad was beginning to stabilise.

Gallup agency poll showed that 15 000 Bulgarians planned to travel abroad in the coming five years. The number of people to seek work in EU member countries during the first year of Bulgaria's accession was 4000.

Interest in work abroad was already reaching balanced levels, Kalchev said. A tendency for return to Bulgaria from abroad was already noticeable.

Kalchev said that mainly Bulgarians studying in foreign countries were the ones mainly returning home. The tendency was strange as such people had higher chances of finding good job abroad, said Kalchev as quoted by Focus.