site.btaMost Job Vacancies Occupied in Manufacturing in October

Of the 13,146 unemployed who occupied job vacancies in October 2023, the largest share, 21.4%, found work in manufacturing, up by 4.5 percentage points from September, the National Employment Agency reported on Thursday.

Vacancies occupied in wholesale and retail trade also increased, to 14% of the total, showing a 1.6% month-on-month increase. Next come those who started work in accommodation and food service activities, 6.5%, construction, 5.7%, human health and social work activities, 5.4%, and public administration and defence, 5.4%.

Three hundred pensioners, students and employed persons also found a job placement with the support of the labour offices in October. Through the brokerage of labour offices, 1,170 unemployed Bulgarians started work in EU Member States, accounting for 8.9% of all employment transitions during the month.

Subsidized jobs were taken by 1,245 risk-group unemployed: 1,138 under employment programmes and measures and 106 under the Human Resouce Development Programme 2020-2027. A total of 367 unemployed and employed were enrolled in various trainings, and 181 finished a training they started in previous months, mastering a new occupation or key competence.

In October, the registered unemployment rate in Bulgaria was 5.5%, up by 0.2 percentage points from September. The jobless total at the end of last month was 155,816, which was 5,938 more, month on month.

Labour offices registered 28,276 new unemployed in October 2023, 6,150 more than in September and 2,794 more than in October 2022. The increase was largely due to the Agency's vigorous efforts to activate the unemployed and the economically inactive persons on the labour market. Eighty-four information meetings, job fairs and career forums were held for them within a national information campaign of the Agency. 

Another 496 job seekers from among the employed, students and pensioners also registered at labour offices in October. This group decreased by 34.7% from September. The efforts of Roma and youth mediators and job brokers at labour offices, a total of 4,234 inactive persons were activated during the month.

Vacancies announced by employers edged down to 10,529 in October from 10,753 in September. In the real economy, the largest number of job openings are in manufacturing (36.2%), wholesale and retail trade (12.5%), education (9.5%), accommodation and food service activities (8.2%), public administration and defence (7.7%), and administrative and support service activities (7.1%).

Occupations in the hottest demand by businesses in October were teachers, stationary machine and plant operators, workers in the extractive and manufacturing industry, construction and transport, shop asssitants, personal service staff, skilled workers in the production of food, apparel, wood products, care givers, waste collection workers, motor vehicle drivers, metallurgists and machine builders, skilled crafts people, etc.