site.btaEmployment Agency Reports Lowest Unemployment on Record

The Employment Agency Monday reported an unemployment rate of 4.6% for April, which is the lowest since its establishment 32 years ago. The April unemployment is down by 0.2 percentage points compared to March and by 1.5 percentage points year-on-year. 

The total number of jobless people registered at job centres in March was also 24.9% below the figure this time last year (150,547), including 18,647 newly unemployed. The newly unemployed were 2,900 fewer than in February or 3,277 fewer than a year earlier. Another 579 job-seekers, students or pensioners registered with the job centres.

The unemployed who started work in April totaled 15,144 which was 822 fewer than in March and 9,358 fewer year-on-year. A total of 185 pensioners, students or already employed found jobs through the job centres.

A total of 82.8% were employed in real economy, mostly in the processing industry (21.3%), followed by trade (13.7%), catering and hospitality (10.2%), agriculture and forestry (6.8%), state administration (5.6%) and construction (5.1%).

A total of 3,356 unemployed from at-risk groups were in subsidized employment during the month, 104 under employment programmes and measures and 2,500 under the EU-backed Operational Programme Human Resources Development  (OPHRD). The Employment for You scheme under OPHRD, which started in July 2020 as an anti-crisis measure, has provided employment to another 1,230 unemployed in April.

Funding under the 60/40 job retention scheme also continues, and only in April the authorities approved the applications of 1,936 employers seeking funding to keep nearly 36,700 employees.

The most sought-after professions during the month were: personal services workers; workers in agriculture, forestry and aquaculture; shop assistants; operators of stationary machines and equipment; workers in the mining and processing industry; drivers.