05.01.2022

EMPLOYMENT IN Q3 + YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

In the third quarter of 2021, the total number of employees aged 15 and over was 3,134,400, of which 1,677,300 were men and 1,457,100 women, according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI).

The employment rate is 53.4 percent, respectively 59.7 percent for men and 47.6 percent for women. In the third quarter of 2021, 150,600 people were unemployed, of whom 85,400 (56.7 percent) were men and 65,100 (43.3 percent) were women. The unemployment rate is 4.6 percent, 4.8 percent for men and 4.3 percent for women.

According to preliminary data, in the third quarter of 2021 the total costs of employers per hour worked by their employees increased by 13.8 percent compared to the third quarter of 2020. In industry the increase is by 14.2 percent, in services - by 11.1 percent, and in construction - by 14.6 percent.

According to business surveys of the NSI in December 2021, 27.1 percent of industrial enterprises point to labor shortages as a factor hindering their activities. In September 2021 the average salary was BGN 1,543 and increased by 3.9 percent compared to the previous month and increased by 10.5 percent compared to September 2020.

In October 2021, the average capacity utilization in industry remained at the level of July (74.2 percent).

A total of 35,223 unemployed young people under the age of 29 have started working with the assistance of labor intermediaries in labor offices across the country for the period January-November 2021. This shows the data of the Employment Agency on the implementation of the National Plan for the European Youth Guarantee. from the press center of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.

Nearly two-thirds of them - 22,733, were employed in the real economy. The rest have started working on projects funded by the Operational Program "Human Resources Development" or on state-subsidized employment programs and measures. Nearly 1,000 young people are involved in training in order to acquire new knowledge and skills and become more competitive in the labor market.

From January to the end of November, the Employment Agency organized 57 job fairs, in which 1,314 people under the age of 29 participated. Labor mediators have conducted nearly 150,000 consultations with unemployed youth. More than 23,000 of them have received career guidance advice, and nearly 6,400 have been included in job search workshops.

On an annual basis, the number of unemployed young people has fallen by more than 30 percent. In November, 17,689 people under the age of 29 were registered in the labor offices, which is 7,728 less than in the same month of 2020. The largest share of unemployed young people are without qualifications and specialties, and the least are those with higher education. The number of young people who have been unemployed for more than a year is 2,614. In the last 12 months, their number has dropped by nearly 17 percent.