Bulgarian Unemployment Remained at 13.1% in March

Unemployment in Bulgaria retained in March its level of 13.1%, according to latest data by Europe's statistical body Eurostat.

A total of 443 000 Bulgarians were without a job in that month, 60 000 of which were under 25, as Investor.bg reports, citing the agency.

Youth unemployment also kept its share, with 28.3%, which puts the country below the average level for the region and close to general EU indicators.

Eurostat numbers show a certain discrepancy as compared to those by Bulgaria's Employment Agency, according to which the share of Bulgarians out of work is 12.2%.

But while the Bulgarian institution bases results on the share of people registered in the Labor Bureau, Eurostat uses the number of the"economically active" for its calculations.

In the EU as a whole, unemployment is currently at 10.5%, while in the Eurozone it is 10.8%. A total of 25.7 million people had no job across the bloc, with 18.9 million of them being from the euro area.

In March, however, their share across Europe decreased by 66 000 compared to February.

Austria (4.9%) and Germany (5.1%) still rank as the countries with the lowest number of jobless people, while Greece (26.7%) and Spain (25.3%) are the ones most troubled by lack of economic activity.

Ten member states saw an increasing unemployment level in that month, while it fell down in fifteen others and remained stable in three.