The number of employed persons was 455.727 and the employment rate 61 percent (males 66,8 percent, females 55,6 percent) in comparison to 443.937 persons (60,5 percent) in the corresponding quarter of 2021.

The number of unemployed persons amounted to 33.922 and the unemployment rate to 6,9 percent of the labour force (males’ 6 percent, females’ 7,9 percent) in comparison to 29.600 persons (6,3 percent) in the corresponding quarter of 2021.

For the age group 20-64, the employment rate was 78,1 percent. The rate for males was 84,2 percent and for female’s 72,5 percent. In the corresponding quarter of 2021, the rate was 77,6 percent (males’ 83,8 percent, females’ 71,7 percent). For the age group 55-64 the employment rate was 65,3 percent in comparison to 65,7 percent in the corresponding quarter of 2021.

According to the distribution of employment by sector, the biggest percentage of employed persons was in Services (80,3 percent), followed by Manufacturing (17,4 percent) and Agriculture (2,3 percent). For the fourth quarter of 2021, the corresponding percentages were: Services 81,1 percent, Manufacturing 16,5 percent and Agriculture 2,4 percent.

The share of part-time employment to total employment was 10,1 percent or 45.916 persons (males’ 7,5 percent, females’ 13 percent). The corresponding rate for the fourth quarter of 2021 was 11,2 percent (males’ 8,7 percent, females’ 14,1 percent).

89,3 percent or 406.907 of the total employed persons were employees, of which 11,3 percent (46.051 persons) had a temporary job.

In the corresponding quarter of 2021 employees accounted for 88,9 percent of total employment of which 12,3 percent had a temporary job.

For young persons aged 15-24 years old, the unemployment rate was 19,2 percent of the labour force of the same age group (males 21,3 percent, females 17,2 percent) in comparison to 17,4 percent (males 16,8 percent, females 18,1 percent) in the corresponding quarter of 2022.

As far as the duration of unemployment is concerned, 54 percent of the total unemployed persons searched for a job for a period of less than six months, 13,6 percent for a period of 6-11 months, whereas a percentage of 32,4 percent were long-term unemployed. The corresponding rates for the fourth quarter of 2021 were 47,7 percent, 16,2 percent and 36,1 percent.