site.btaEurostat: Working Life Duration for Bulgarians 33 Years in 2017

Sofia, October 12 (BTA) - In 2017, the average duration of the working lives of Bulgarians was 33 years, according to an Eurostat analysis released on Friday. By comparison, the expected working life duration in the EU was 36 years.

National statistics data show that over 3.4 million Bulgarians were employed under full-or part-time labor contracts in 2017. Of these, over 650,000 were employed in the public sector and some 2.4 million in the private sector.

Some 100,000 people worked for the central administration and nearly 42,000 for the regional administration, the National Statistical Institute said. Employees of the Interior Ministry and Defence Ministry are excluded from these statistics.

By October 2018, 2,161,434 people drew pensions, which shows that some 30 per cent of the Bulgarian population have ended their working lives. In 2018, men in Bulgaria retired at 64 years and 1 month of age, while women retired at 61 years and 2 months of age. As of January 1, 2018, the retirement age will be increased to 64 years and 2 months for men and to 61 years and 4 months for women.

According to expert data, nearly everywhere in the world people work for 8 hours a day, five days a week or 40 hours weekly, and nearly two thirds of the free time is devoted to leisure activities. On average Bulgarians work for 2,000 hours annually which adds up to 66,000 hours in 33 years.