Unemployment in Bulgaria dropped to 10.1% in April, EU at 9.7%
Unemployment in Bulgaria was 10.1 per cent in April 2015, down from 11.6 per cent in April 2014, but the country was continuing to turn in worse figures than the EU average, going by a report released by EU statistics office Eurostat on June 3.
Joblessness in Bulgaria has been decreasing over the past year, from an estimated 391 000 unemployed people in April 2014 to about 342 000 in April 2015. In January, February and March 2015, Eurostat recorded unemployment in Bulgaria at 10.2 per cent each month.
Youth unemployment in Bulgaria also has dropped, from 24.8 per cent (about 51 000 people) in April 2014 to 22.3 per cent (about 41 000 people) in April 2015.
Eurostat said that in April 2015, euro zone unemployment, seasonally-adjusted, was 11.1 per cent (down from 11.7 per cent in April 2014) and unemployment in the 28-member EU was 9.7 per cent in April 2015 (down from 10.3 per cent in April 2014).
Eurostat estimates that 23.504 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 17.846 million in the euro area, were unemployed in April 2015.
Compared with March 2015, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 126 000 in the EU28 and by 130 000 in the euro area. Compared with April 2014, unemployment fell by 1.545 million in the EU28 and by 849 000 in the euro area.
Among EU countries, the lowest unemployment rate in April 2015 was recorded in Germany (4.7 per cent), and the highest in Greece (25.4 per cent in February 2015) and Spain (22.7 per cent).
Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate in April 2015 fell in 22 EU countries and increased in six.
The largest decreases were registered in Spain (24.9 per cent to 22.7 per cent), Lithuania (11.1 per cent to 8.9 per cent) and Ireland (11.8 per cent to 9.7 per cent).
The increases were registered in Belgium (8.4 per cent to 8.5 per cent), Romania (6.8 per cent to 6.9 per cent), Austria (5.5 per cent to 5.7 per cent), France (10.1 per cent to 10.5 per cent), Croatia (17.1 per cent to 17.5 per cent) and Finland (8.5 per cent to 9.4 per cent).
In April 2015, 4.746 million young people (under 25) were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 3.168 million were in the euro area.
Compared with April 2014, youth unemployment decreased by 478 000 in the EU28 and by 270 000 in the euro area.
In April 2015, the youth unemployment rate was 20.7 per cent in the EU28 and 22.3 per cent in the euro area, compared with 22.5 per cent and 23.9 per cent respectively in April 2014.
In April 2015, the lowest rates were observed in Germany (7.2 per cent), Austria and Denmark (both 10.1 per cent), and the highest in Greece (50.1 per cent in February 2015), Spain (49.6 per cent), Croatia (45.5 per cent in the first quarter 2015) and Italy (40.9 per cent).
(Photo: Mark Puplava/freeimages.com)
