Unemployment rate in Bulgaria

The unemployment rate is the share of jobless people in Bulgaria's total labour force. Published by the National Statistical Institute, it is the main indicator of the state of the labour market and of the economy's ability to create jobs.

It is drawn from the Labour Force Survey of a large sample of households, using internationally comparable ILO criteria. An unemployed person is one without a job who is available for and actively seeking work. It is expressed as a percentage of the labour force.

Its trend reflects the momentum of the Bulgarian economy. A strong labour market boosts consumption and household income. Bulgaria runs a currency board with the lev pegged to the euro and is preparing to adopt the single currency, so the labour market is also watched with an eye on euro-area convergence.

It is worth distinguishing whether the rate moves because of shifts in labour demand or factors such as emigration or changes in the active population. Survey data are subject to sampling error, seasonality and revisions.