Unemployment in Bulgaria in November 2019 was 3.7 per cent, down from 4.8 per cent in November 2018, according to seasonally-adjusted figures released on January 9 by European Union statistics agency Eurostat.
The November 2018 figure represented about 294 000 people, which dropped to about 262 000 in November 2019.
Eurostat said that Bulgaria had seen among the largest decreases in unemployment in the EU, comparing November 2019 with November 2018.
Youth unemployment in Bulgaria in November 2019 was seven per cent, representing about 10 000 people under 25, while in November 2018 it had been 10.7 per cent, representing about 15 000 under-25s.
According to Eurostat, Bulgaria had the third-lowest rate of youth unemployment in the EU.
The euro zone (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.5 per cent in November 2019, stable compared with October 2019 and down from 7.9 per cent in November 2018, Eurostat said. This remains the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since July 2008.
The EU28 unemployment rate was 6.3 per cent in November 2019, stable compared with October 2019 and down from 6.6 per cent in November 2018. This remains the lowest rate recorded in the EU28 since the start of the EU monthly unemployment series in January 2000.
Among EU countries, the lowest unemployment rates in November 2019 were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.2 per cent), Germany (3.1 per cent) and Poland (3.2 per cent). The highest unemployment rates were observed in Greece (16.8 per cent in September 2019) and Spain (14.1 per cent).
Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate fell in 20 EU countries, remained stable in the Netherlands and Portugal, while it increased in Luxembourg (from 5.4 per cent to 5.5 per cent), Slovenia (from 4.4 per cent to 4.6 per cent), the Czech Republic (from two per cent to 2.2 per cent), Cyprus (from 7.5 per cent to 7.7 per cent), Sweden (from 6.5 per cent to 6.9 per cent) and Lithuania (from 5.8 per cent to 6.4 per cent).
The largest decreases were in Greece (from 18.8 per cent to 16.8 per cent between September 2018 and September 2019), Bulgaria (from 4.8 per cent to 3.7 per cent), Estonia (from 5.3 per cent to 4.2 per cent between October 2018 and October 2019) and Croatia (from 7.5 per cent to 6.5 per cent).
In November 2019, 3.222 million young people were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 2.258 million were in the euro zone.
Compared with November 2018, youth unemployment decreased by 111 000 in the EU28 and by 89 000 in the euro zone.
In November 2019, the youth unemployment rate was 14.3 per cent in the EU28 and 15.6 per cent in the euro zone, compared with 14.8 per cent and 16.3 per cent respectively in November 2018.
In November 2019, the lowest rates of youth unemployment were observed in the Czech Republic (5.2 per cent), Germany (5.9 per cent) and Bulgaria (seven per cent), while the highest were recorded in Greece (32.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2019), Spain (32.1 per cent) and Italy (28.6 per cent), Eurostat said.
Source: https://sofiaglobe.com
