Starting March 31, employers can apply for state compensation to be used for retaining staff, Minister of Social Affairs Denitsa Sacheva has announced. Approval will be awaited for 7 days, after which assistance will be received within 5 more days, Minister Sacheva said. In order to benefit from the aid, companies must prove that they have at least a 20% drop in revenue. If the employer did not fully pay 40% of salaries owed to its employees, they will have to give back the state subsidy of 60% of staff salaries. 213,700 are those unemployed in Bulgaria, and since the beginning of the crisis, 10,000 more have been registered with the labor offices.