The labor market in Bulgaria continues to tighten

The unemployment rate in Bulgaria fell to 3.6% in the second quarter of 2025, according to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) published on Friday. According to the data, the indicator decreased by 0.7 percentage points compared to the same period in 2024.

For comparison, in the first quarter, unemployment stood at 3.9%, down 1.1 percentage points compared to the first three months of last year.

The current level of the indicator is equal to 110,500 unemployed Bulgarians, of whom the majority (60,800, or 55%) are men, while fewer (49,700, or 45%) are women. Measured as a rate, unemployment is 3.8% for men and 3.5% for women.

The results for the second quarter confirm that the labor market in Bulgaria remains tight, with low unemployment but a high number of job vacancies and offers, which is an indicator that it is difficult for businesses to find qualified workers.

Is education a factor?

A breakdown by level of education shows that people with secondary education suffer most from the lack of a steady income.

Of all unemployed people, 13.4% have higher education, 52.2% have secondary education, and 34.4% have primary or lower education.

The unemployment rates by level of education are 1.3% for higher education, 3.5% for secondary education, and 13.0% for primary and lower education.

The problem of long-term unemployed

According to the Institute's data, there are 46,800 long-term unemployed, accounting for 42.4% of all unemployed persons. This group includes people who, according to the additional provisions of the Employment Promotion Act, have been "continuously registered with the Employment Agency for at least 12 months."

It should be noted that their number continues to decline, after reaching 49,800 in the first three months. By comparison, 2024 began with 78,500 people permanently unemployed.

Of the total number of unemployed, 15,400, or 14%, are looking for work for the first time.

Distribution by age group
The unemployment rate for the 15-29 age group in the second quarter of 2025 is 8% (8.6% for men and 7.1% for women). Compared to the same quarter of 2024, this rate is 0.1 percentage points higher, which is entirely due to an increase among men of 0.2 percentage points.

Who is working

The total number of employed persons in the second quarter of 2025 is 2.9 million, of whom 1.5 million are men and almost 1.4 million are women. The relative share of employed persons in the population aged 15 and over is 53.2%.

The service sector employs 1.9 million people, or 67.3% of the employed, industry - 804,300 (27.4%), and agriculture, forestry, and fishing - 155,600 (5.3%). The employment rate for the population aged 15 to 29 is 34.9% (39.3% for men and 30.3% for women).

The employment rate for the population aged 15-29 is 34.9% (39.3% for men and 30.3% for women).

The employment rate for the population aged 20-64 is 77.1%, 80.8% for men and 73.3% for women.

The number of employed persons aged 55-64 is 635,400, or 70.3% of the population in the same age group (74.5% of men and 66.4% of women).

Translated with DeepL.