BULGARIA’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE 1.5 PERCENTAGE POINTS DOWN IN Q2 Y/Y

In the second quarter of 2015 there were 330,900 unemployed persons in Bulgaria. The unemployment rate was 9.9%. In comparison with the same quarter of 2014 the number of unemployed persons has decreased by 50,900 and the unemployment rate went down by 1.5 percentage points, show the data of Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute.

In the period concerned the unemployment rate declined for both men and women, and reached 10.9% for men and 8.8% for women. Of the total number of unemployed persons in the second quarter of 2015 some 19,000 (58.9%) were men and 135,900 (41.1%) were women.

In the second quarter of 2015 there were 208,800 thousand long-term unemployed persons, representing 63.1% of all unemployed. The long-term unemployment rate was 6.2%, and in comparison with the respective quarter of 2014 it has decreased by 0.4 percentage points. The long-term unemployment rate by sex was 7.0% for men and 5.4% for women.

Of the total number of unemployed persons some 48,600 (14.7%) were looking for a first job.

In the second quarter of 2015 the unemployment rate for the age group 15 - 29 was 13.9% (14.2% and 13.3% for men and women, respectively).