site.btaQ4 2015 Unemployment Rate Is 7.9% - Statistics

Q4 2015 Unemployment Rate Is 7.9% - Statistics

Sofia, February 15 (BTA) - The unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of 2015 was 7.9 per cent, by 2.7 percentage points lower compared to the same quarter of 2014, the National Statistical Institute said Monday. The number of unemployed persons was by 26.4 per cent lower than in the fourth quarter of 2014 and the unemployment rate decreased by 2.7 percentage points.

In the period concerned the unemployment rate went down for men and for women, but its value remained higher for men (8.0 per cent) than for women (7.6 per cent). Of the total number of unemployed persons in the fourth quarter of 2015, 142,400 (54.5 per cent) were men and 118,700 (45.5 per cent) were women.

Among all unemployed persons 13.9 per cent had higher education, 52.0 per cent had secondary education and 34.1 per cent had lower secondary education or less.

In the fourth quarter of 2015 there were 156,400 thousand long-term unemployed persons, representing 59.9 per cent of all unemployed. The long-term unemployment rate was 4.7 per cent, and compared to the same quarter of 2014 dropped by 2.1 percentage points. The long-term unemployment rate declined for both men and women, and reached 5.0 per cent for men and 4.4 per cent for women.

Of the total number of unemployed persons 44,900 thousand (17.2 per cent) were looking for a first job.

In the fourth quarter of 2015 the unemployment rate for the age group 15 - 29 was 14.5 per cent, 15.0 per cent and 13.9 per cent for men and women respectively. In comparison with the same period of 2014 the unemployment rate (15 - 29 years) decreased by 3.1 percentage points, by 3.5 percentage points for men and by 2.6 percentage points for women.