site.btaNovember 2022 Registered Unemployment at Record Low 4.4% - Employment Agency

Registered unemployment in November was 4.4%, the Employment Agency said on Friday. This is the lowest unemployment registered for the month in the existence of the administrative statistics. A decline of 0.4% for the month was also registered year-on-year.

There were 145,431 unemployed people registered at job centres in Bulgaria in November 2022, 3,444 more than in October.

Newly registered jobless persons in November 2022 numbered 23,744. That was 1,738 less than in October 2022 and 906 less than in November 2021.

A total of 11,416 people started work in November 2022. The largest number of those who found jobs started work in the processing industry, 19.2%, followed by trade, 13.4%, the hotel and restaurant business, 6.1%, public administration, 5.3%, construction, 5.8%.

The job vacancies on the primary labour market in November 2022 totalled 8,439. The highest job openings in the real economy were in the processing industries, 28.9%, followed by trade, 13.6%, public administration, 10.2%, education, 8.1%, the hotel and restaurant business, 7.7% and administrative services, 7.0%.

The agency further reported that 787 unemployed members of at-risk groups received subsidized jobs, as 267 began to work under employment programmes and measures, and 520 under the Operational Programme Human Resources Development. A total of 377 unemployed and employed were included in various training courses and 664 completed training begun the previous month for acquiring new professions or competencies.

The most sought-after professions by the business were machine operators of stationary machines; shop assistants, staff for personal services; workers in the extractive and processing industries, construction, transport, among others.

The number of long-term unemployed declined by 21% over the past year as a result of the joint efforts of the social partners and the Employment Agency, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Labour and Social Policy Minister Lazar Lazarov pointed out at Thursday’s “Employer of the Year” ceremony, adding that although the year was a difficult one, it is seen off with one of the lowest levels of unemployment for the period.