EU: THREE COUNTRIES WITH LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Unemployment in Bulgaria is below the average EU level, remaining at 6.1%, according to Eurostat seasonally adjusted data.

Unemployment rate in the EU declines in October on a monthly basis, reaching 7.4% against 7.5% in September. On an annual basis however, there is a more significant decrease in comparison to October 2016 (8.3%), a difference of 0.9 percentage points. This is the lowest unemployment rate in the region since November 2008. The unemployed in the region during the tenth month of the year were a total of 18.243 million people.

Among the EU Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in October 2017 were reported again in the Czech Republic (2.7%), Malta (3.5%) and Germany (3.6%). Highest unemployment rates are observed in Greece (20.6% as of August 2017) and Spain (16.7%).

On an annual basis, the unemployment rate in October 2017 has dropped in almost all member states, excluding Finland, where it has remain unchanged. The largest declines are reported in Cyprus (from 13.1% to 10.2% as of August 2017 on an annual basis).

Unemployment in Bulgaria has remained stable over the past four months, ranging between 6.1% and 6.1%. The number of unemployed in October 2017 in Bulgaria has a total of 203 thousand people. The youth unemployment rate in the country continues to decline steadily, albeit high. A total of 19 000 young people under the age of 25 were unemployed in the ninth month of the year.