NSI: 17% of Bulgarian businesses polled laid off staff because of Covid-19 crisis
Seventeen per cent of Bulgarian businesses polled by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said that they laid off staff as a means of responding to the State of Emergency declared over Covid-19, the institute said on April 28.
The poll, done among non-financial enterprises, found that 41.8 per cent of the businesses polled sent staff on paid leave, 28 per cent went over to teleworking and 24.4 per cent put staff on unpaid leave.
The NSI said that the poll was done between April 8 and 21 and involved 3770 enterprises, which together had about 230 000 employees.
About 53.5 per cent said that revenue from sales of goods and services fell in March compared with February, 36.3 per cent said that there was no change and 9.5 per cent said that their revenue went up.
About 54.6 per cent of enterprises with one to 49 employees said that revenue went down, 35.7 per cent said that it did not change and nine per cent said that it went up.
Among enterprises with 50 to 99 employees, 49.6 per cent said that revenue went down, 37 per cent reported no change and 12.2 per cent reported an increase.
Among those with more than 100 employees, 53.7 per cent said that revenue went down, 38.4 per cent said that there was no change and 7.9 per cent said that it went up.
More than 70 per cent of non-financial enterprises in the category “arts, entertainment and recreation, repair of household goods and other services” saw their revenue decrease.
In industry, the figure was 52.9 per cent and in construction, 51.2 per cent said, the NSI said.
Seventy-three per cent of the businesses polled said that they expected no change to the number of their employees. Twenty-five per cent foresaw staff cuts.
Just more than 80 per cent said that they believed that they would be able to continue their current activity, 15.4 per cent expected to suspend business temporarily, two per cent to close down and 1.8 per cent said that they would change to a different activity, according to the NSI poll.
(Photo: Steve McGrath/freeimages.com)
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