14.02.2023

4 PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT IN OUR COUNTRY IN DECEMBER

Unemployment in the European Union was at a level of 6.1 percent in December 2022, maintaining its level for the fourth month in a row, and decreasing from December 2021's 6.4 percent. In the euro area, unemployment was 6.6 percent in December for the third month in a row, and compared to the same month a year earlier, it fell by 0.4 percentage points, according to the latest seasonally adjusted data of the European statistics agency Eurostat.

About 13.148 million people in the EU, of which 11.48 million were residents of the euro area, were unemployed in December 2022. Compared to a month earlier, the unemployed were 28 thousand more in the EU and 23 thousand more in the euro area. Compared to December 2021, unemployment has decreased by 518 thousand in the EU, as well as by 494 thousand in the euro area in December 2022.

In Bulgaria, unemployment in December 2022 reached 4 percent, increasing by 0.1 percentage point compared to the previous month. This corresponds to 132 thousand unemployed Bulgarians in December, compared to 129 thousand in November. In December 2021, native unemployment was at the level of 4.6 percent, which corresponded to 149 thousand people.

In December, native youth unemployment increased slightly compared to November – by 0.3 percentage points, to 11.2 percent. Still, youth unemployment remained below its levels since December 2021, when it reached 14.4 percent.

Youth unemployment

In December, 2.862 million young people (under the age of 25) were unemployed in the EU, of which 2.311 million people were citizens of the euro area. Thus, in December 2022, the youth unemployment rate was 15 percent in the EU and 14.8 percent in the euro area.

Compared to November 2022, youth unemployment has increased by 30 thousand in the EU and by 3 thousand in the Eurozone. Compared to December 2021, youth unemployment has increased by 209 thousand people in the EU and by 156 thousand people in the Eurozone.

Unemployment rate by gender

In December 2022, the female unemployment rate was 6.4 percent in the EU, remaining stable compared to November. The male unemployment rate was 5.8 percent, also unchanged from November.

In December, unemployment among women in the Eurozone was 7 percent, and among men - 6.3 percent, and both indicators remained unchanged from the previous month.