The unemployment rate was 3.2%, by 0.7 percentage points lower compared to the first quarter of 2025.
The employment rate for the population aged 15 - 64 years was 70.5%, by 0.1 percentage points higher compared to the same quarter of 2025.
The activity rate of the population aged 15 - 64 was 72.9%, by 0.4 percentage points lower compared to the first quarter of 2025.
Unemployment
In the first quarter of 2026, there were 96.8 thousand unemployed persons, of whom 53.0 thousand (54.7%) men and 43.8 thousand (45.3%) women. The unemployment rate was 3.2%, 3.3% for men and 3.1% for women, respectively.
Among all unemployed persons, 12.4% had attained tertiary education, 54.0% had completed upper secondary education and 33.5% had at most lower secondary education. The unemployment rate by level of educational attainment was as follows: 1.1% for tertiary education, 3.2% for upper secondary education and 13.5% for lower education (lower secondary or less).
In the first quarter of 2026, there were 41.6 thousand long-term unemployed people (unemployed for one year or more), representing 43.0% of all unemployed. The long-term unemployment rate was 1.4%.
Among all unemployed, 12.4 thousand persons, or 12.8%, were looking for job for the first time.
In the first quarter of 2026, the youth unemployment rate (age group 15 - 29) was 7.2% (7.5% for men and 6.8% for women). Compared to the same quarter of 2025, this rate was higher by 0.4 percentage points, which was entirely due to an increase for women.
Employment
In the first quarter of 2026, there were 2 916.5 thousand employed persons, of whom 1 541.5 thousand men and 1 375.0 thousand women. The employment rate for the population aged 15 years and over was 53.0%, 58.9% for men and 47.6% for women.
In the service sector worked 1 979.0 thousand persons (67.9% of all in employment), in the industry sector - 809.0 thousand (27.7%), and in the agriculture, forestry and fishing - 128.4 thousand (4.4%).
According to the status in employment, the distribution of employed persons was as follows: 6.2% (180.8 thousand) employers, 7.9% (230.3 thousand) self-employed persons without employees, 85.6% (2 496.1 thousand) employees and 0.3% (9.3 thousand) unpaid family workers. Of all employees, 1 866.2 thousand persons (74.8%) worked in the private sector, while 629.8 thousand (25.2%) worked in the public sector. Among all employees, 55.7 thousand persons (2.2%) had а temporary job (with limited duration).
In the first quarter of 2026, the employment in specific age groups was as follows:
There were 2 791.7 thousand employed persons aged 15 - 64 (1 472.6 thousand men and 1 319.1 thousand women). The employment rate for the same age group was 70.5% (73.5% for men and 67.5% for women).
The employment rate for the age group 15 - 29 was 34.3% (37.5% for men and 31.0% for women).
The employment rate for the age group 20 - 64 was 76.6% (79.9% for men and 73.3% for women). In comparison with the first quarter of 2025, the employment rate (20 - 64 years of age) increased by 0.1 percentage points.
There were 651.8 thousand employed persons aged 55 - 64, representing 72.0% of the population in the same age group (75.6% of men and 68.5% of women). In comparison with the first quarter of 2025, the employment rate for the age group 55 - 64 increased by 2.3 percentage points.
Economic inactivity
In the first quarter of 2026, there were 2 493.9 thousand economically inactive persons (persons not in the labour force) aged 15 years and over, of whom 1 021.6 thousand (41.0%) men and 1 472.2 thousand (59.0%) women.
The economically inactive persons aged 15 - 64 were 1 072.9 thousand (480.2 thousand men and 592.8 thousand women), representing 27.1% of the population in the same age group (24.0% of men and 30.3% of women). Among all persons not in the labour force aged 15 - 64, 42.0% were inactive due to participation in education or training. There were 18.5 thousand discouraged persons aged 15 - 64, representing 1.7% of the economically inactive population in the same age group.
