May 4, 2023 - The unemployment rate in the eurozone decreased marginally in March, dropping by 0.1 percentage points compared to the previous month, and unemployment in Croatia decreased by the same amount, according to a Wednesday Eurostat report. In the 20-member eurozone, the unemployment rate measured by the International Labor Organization (ILO) methodology was 6.5 percent in March, dropping from 6.6 percent in comparison to February, according to data from the European Statistical Office.

In the EU, as Index writes, it was six percent, remaining at the previous month's level. For comparison, in March 2022, it reached 6.8 percent in the eurozone and 6.2 percent in the EU. Eurostat estimates there were 12.96 million unemployed in the EU in March 2023, of which 11.01 million were in the eurozone.

A comparison with February shows that the number of unemployed in the EU decreased by 155,000 and in the Eurozone by 121,000. On an annual level, their number decreased by 353 thousand in the Union and by 365 thousand in the eurozone.

Croatia in the company of Lithuania and Slovakia

Spain and Greece are still the only ones with a double-digit unemployment rate, which reached 12.8 and 10.9 percent in March, respectively. Italy and Sweden follow, with unemployment rates of 7.8 and 7.3 percent, respectively. In Croatia, the unemployment rate measured by the ILO methodology was 6.2 percent in March, dropping from 6.3 percent in February. In March 2022, it amounted to 6.7 percent.

According to Eurostat data, 112,000 citizens were unemployed in Croatia in March, three thousand fewer than in the previous month, according to revised data. The tables show that compared to the same month last year; their number decreased by 10,000.

The closest to Croatia in March were Slovakia and Lithuania, with an unemployment rate of six and 6.4 percent. The Czech Republic had the lowest unemployment rate in March, at 2.6 percent. Germany and Poland follow, with 2.8 percent, and Malta is close behind, with an unemployment rate of 2.9 percent.

Marginal drop in youth unemployment

The unemployment rate of citizens under the age of 25 was 14.3 percent in the eurozone in March, having slipped by 0.1 percentage point on a monthly basis. At the same time, in the EU, it dropped by 0.2 percentage points to 14.3 percent. In March of last year, Eurostat tables show it was 14.2 percent in both areas.

The statistical office estimates that 2.76 million young people were unemployed in the EU in March, of which 2.26 million were in the eurozone. The number of unemployed young people in the eurozone in March was thus higher by 91 thousand than in the same period in 2022, and in the EU by 105 thousand, Eurostat announced.

Four above 20 percent

Spain had the highest youth unemployment rate in March, at 29.5 percent. Greece follows with 24.2 percent, Italy with 22.3 percent, and Sweden with 21.9 percent. Among the EU countries with data available to Eurostat, Germany had by far the lowest youth unemployment rate, at 5.6 percent. Austria and Slovenia follow, with 7.6 and 7.9 percent, respectively.

In the first quarter of 2023, Croatia had an unemployment rate in that age group of 17.4 percent, with 26,000 unemployed, according to a Eurostat report. For the sake of comparison, in the fourth quarter of last year, it recorded an unemployment rate of a revised 17.9 percent, with 27,000 unemployed youth, according to the tables of the European Statistical Office. Eurostat did not only have data on youth unemployment in Romania.

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ZAGREB, April 30, 2020 - At the end of April there were 158,795 unemployed persons in Croatia, which is 15,300 more than in March and 27,700 more than at the end of April 2019, and this is the first time in the country's more recent history that unemployment has increased in April, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) has said.

This is the first time in Croatia's recent history that unemployment has increased in April on the month and the first time since 2013 that it has increased year on year in that month, the HGK said.

It recalled that April was the first whole month in which business and consumption had taken place in restricted conditions and that most of the month had been spent in quarantine, with restrictions being partially lifted only in its last week.

"In the first few days of the month, increased pressure on the employment office was evident, with the trend of the daily growth of unemployment being somewhat relieved after the government's second set of measures designed to help save jobs," the HGK said in a press release.

The HGK believes that as restrictions are gradually lifted, the number of people registering as unemployed will decline.

However, the higher level of unemployment will probably remain due to the absence of seasonal employment this year.

The usual downward curve in unemployment in the middle of the year will probably be a lot straighter this year mostly due to the absence of mass employment in tourism, the HGK said, adding that only 424 people were removed from the unemployment register in April to take up jobs in the accommodation and hospitality sector, whereas last year that number was 7,120.

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ZAGREB, April 20, 2020 - At the end of March, there were 1.515 million employed persons in Croatia, which is almost the same number as in the previous month or 715 fewer workers, while the number of job-seekers rose by 4%, sending the registered unemployment rate up by 0.3 percentage points to 8.6%.

Data from the national statistical office (DZS) shows that there were 1,515,174 employed persons in the country at the end of March, an annual increase of 0.5%.

In mid-March Croatia introduced restrictions to step up the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, which has caused a decrease in monthly employment figures for trades and freelance professions and an increase in the number of the unemployed.

Statistics show that at the end of March the number of workers in legal entities, which employ the largest number of workers, rose mildly on the month while in trades and freelance professions it dropped by more than one percent.

According to DZS data, at the end of March legal entities employed 1,314,034 persons, 0.1% up or 1,309 more employees than at the end of February this year and 0.7% more than in March 2019.

Month-on-month, the number of employees in the real estate sector rose the most, by 1.2%, to 9,220 employees.

The number of workers dropped the most in the catering industry and tourism, by 3.3% to 67,000.

A total of 181,959 people worked in trades or as freelancers at the end of March, which is 1.1% down from February.

According to figures from the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ), at the end of March there were 143,461 job-seekers, which is 5,484 or 4% more than in February. Year-on-year, the number of job-seekers dropped by 1.6%.

The registered unemployment rate in March stood at 8.6%, 0.3 pp more than in February.

The number of job-seekers continued rising in April as well, and according to daily figures available on the HZZ website, there are currently more than 155,000 job-seekers, so the registered unemployment rate is expected to continue growing.

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ZAGREB, April 8, 2020 - The number of people registered with the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) as of Tuesday has exceeded 150,000 and over the past three weeks alone 21,649 registered as unemployed, 20,071 of whom lost their jobs.

On March 16 there were 134,717 registered as unemployed while on April 7 that number increased to 150,308, which is an increase of 15,591 or 11.6%, HZZ data forwarded to Hina on Wednesday indicates.

The HZZ notes that due to the extraordinary circumstances caused by the coronavirus epidemic, evidence was being kept on a daily basis of people registering or being erased from the unemployment register, particularly those who lost their jobs.

Data indicates that in that period 21,649 people registered as being unemployed, of whom, 20,071 had lost their jobs.

At the same time 6,314 were struck from the register, of whom 4,684 had found jobs.

According to daily data on the HZZ web site, currently there are 150,372 unemployed people and 7,994 advertised vacancies.

The HZZ informed that as of Tuesday it had received 95,211 applications from employers for support to save jobs in those activities affected by the epidemic, which encompasses 559,000 workers, and that more than HRK 700 million had been paid out in support.

The HZZ said that it planned to pay out wage support for March by April 10 for all applications submitted by midnight Tuesday.

HGK analysts estimate government's measures should slow jobless growth

Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) analysts estimate that the first direct measures to preserve jobs, which initially envisaged aid in the amount of the minimum wage (HRK 3,250 for March), subsequently raised to HRK 4,000 for April and May, without the payment of contributions, should slow the jobless growth by enabling employers to keep more workers.

"Since HZZ data show a slowing down of the daily growth of the unemployed over the past three days, one can conclude that the adopted measures have stopped a higher unemployment growth for now. According to the latest information, 94,000 employers have requested that aid for about 550,000 employees, therefore a little over one third of all employed," the HGK said in a press release.

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ZAGREB, April 7, 2020 - The number of policyholders with the Croatian Pension Insurance Fund (HZMO) fell in March from the previous month, indicating that the crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic has resulted in lay-offs and that employers did not hire seasonal workers as in the previous years.

The number of policyholders decreased by 12,423, or 0.8%, to 1,529,905. The largest monthly decrease, of 6.4%, was recorded in the tourism and hospitality industry.

The number of insured persons also fell in other important categories, including the manufacturing industry (-0.3%) and trade (-0.9%).

"Despite the pre-crisis expectations that the start of the spring months and the Easter holidays, influenced by seasonal factors, will formally mark the start of the tourist (pre)season and the simultaneous rise in the number of policyholders, the monthly fall in the total number of policy holders reflects the first obstacles and difficulties that the coronavirus pandemic has brought to the Croatian labour market," Raiffeisen Bank (RBA) said in an analysis of the HZMO data.

RBA analysts expect that the usual seasonal trends relating to the tourist season will be weaker than in the previous years.

Compared with March 2019, the number of policyholders increased by 8,646 or 0.6%. The increase was mainly driven by increases in the number of policyholders from the information and communications industry (+7.4%), construction (+5.8%), and professional, scientific and technical activities (+3.9%).

On the other hand, decreases were recorded in the manufacturing industry (-1.3%) and tourism and hospitality (-8.4%).

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ZAGREB, April 2, 2020 - At the end of March 2020, over 143,000 persons were registered with the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ), with 13,264 registering in the last 15 days of March alone.

On 16 March there were 134,717 persons registered with the HZZ, and at the end of March that number was 143,454, which is an increase of 8,737 persons, shows data given to Hina by the HZZ.

However, in that period 13,262 new persons were registered with the HZZ, of which 12,260 persons registered immediately after their employment contract had been terminated.

At the same time 4,546 persons left the register, of which 3,417 are now employed.

Broken down by sectors, from March 16 to March 31 the largest number of jobless were registered in the accommodation and food services sector (4,376), followed by the trade sector (1,672), the manufacturing sector (1,462) and the other services sector (891).

HZZ data for April 1 show that the number of jobless increased by over a thousand - a total of 1,473 persons registered with the HZZ on April 1 alone.

As of today, 144,819 persons are registered with the HZZ and there are 9,260 job vacancies.

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ZAGREB, April 1, 2020 - The EU seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was stable in February, remaining at the lowest level since the EU's statistical office Eurostat started collecting data on a monthly basis, while in Croatia unemployment declined slightly.

According to revised Eurostat data, the EU seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate, based on the definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), was 6.5% in February 2020, stable compared to the previous month.

The new lowest rate recorded in the EU since the start of Eurostat monthly unemployment series in January 2000 was registered in January 2020.

The euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate slipped by 0.1 percentage points compared to January 2020, to 7.3%, the lowest rate recorded since March 2008.

In February 2019, the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 6.9% in the EU 27, and 7.8% in the euro area.

In February 2020, 13.984 million people were unemployed in the EU, of whom 12.047 million in the euro area.

Compared to January 2020, the number of unemployed persons in February 2020 decreased by 62,000 in the EU27, and by 88,000 in the euro area.

Among the EU member states with the lowest unemployment rates in February are the Czech Republic (2%), followed by the Netherlands and Poland (2.9%).

In Croatia, the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate according to the ILO definition was 6.2% in February 2020, down by 0.1 percentage point compared to the previous month, when it was 6.3% according to Eurostat's revised estimate.

In February 2019 it was 7.2%.

According to Eurostat data, 111,000 Croatian citizens were unemployed in February 2020, which is 2,000 fewer unemployed than in January.

The highest unemployment rate was registered again in Greece (16.3% in December 2019), followed by Spain (13.6% in February).

In February 2020, youth unemployment remained stable at 14.9% in the EU27, while it decreased slightly in the euro area, to 15.5%.

Compared to the previous year, youth unemployment is down by 0.6 percentage points in both areas.

In February 2020, 2.734 million citizens under the age of 25 were unemployed in the EU27, of whom 2.258 in the euro area.

On the yearly level, their number decreased by 85,000 in the EU27, and by 56,000 in the euro area.

The lowest rates of youth unemployment were registered in the Czech Republic and Germany (5.3%), followed by the Netherlands (6.3%).

The highest rates of youth unemployment were registered in Greece (34.7% in December 2019), followed by Spain (30.9%) and Italy (29.6%).

Croatia is not required to provide monthly data. In the last quarter of 2019, the youth unemployment rate in Croatia was 15.8%, and 23,000 citizens under the age of 25 were unemployed.

Eurostat thus increased its estimate of the unemployment rate in Croatia by 0.3 percentage points.

More economic news can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, March 11, 2020 - The pace of hiring in the European Union accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2019 both on the quarter and on the year, with the same trend being recorded in Croatia, Eurostat said in its revised estimate on Tuesday.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the number of employed persons in the 27-member bloc rose by 0.3% from the previous quarter, following an increase of 0.1% in the third quarter. This raised the initial estimate for last year's final quarter by 0.1 percentage point.

Year-on-year, the number of employed persons increased by 1%, which is 0.1 percentage point more than Eurostat's February estimate. In the third quarter, the number of employed persons went up by 0.9%.

In Croatia the number of employed persons in Q4 increased by 0.7% on the quarter. Compared with an increase of 0.5% in the third quarter, this points to a slightly accelerated pace of hiring. On an annual level, it rose by 1.9% in the fourth quarter after going up 0.9% in the third quarter.

In 2019, the number of employed persons in the EU went up by 1%, following a 1.4% increase in 2018.

In the fourth quarter, a total of 209.3 million citizens were employed in the EU, which is the highest number of employed persons since Eurostat started publishing data. It is by 15.1 million higher than the lowest number of employed persons in the EU recorded in the post-crisis period in Q1 2013.

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ZAGREB, January 30, 2020 - Unemployment in the European Union in December 2019 fell to its lowest level since the EU statistical office Eurostat began publishing monthly data, and there was a slight fall in Croatia as well, which puts Croatia close to the EU average, Eurostat said in a report published on Thursday.

The EU28 seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, based on the definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), was 6.2% in December 2019, falling by 0.1% compared to November. This is the lowest rate recorded in the EU28 since the start of the EU monthly unemployment series in January 2000.

The same fall was recorded in the euro area, where seasonally adjusted unemployment fell to 7.4%, the lowest level since May 2008.

In December 2018, the EU28 unemployment rate was 6.6%, and in the euro area it was 7.8%

Eurostat estimates that 15.457 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 12.251 million in the euro area, were unemployed in December 2019.

The number of unemployed citizens decreased by 80,000 in the EU28, and by 34,000 in the euro area.

Compared to December 2018, the number of unemployed people in EU28 decreased by 747,000, and by 592,000 in the euro area.

Among EU member states for which Eurostat acquired data, the lowest seasonally adjusted rate was marked in Czechia (2%), followed by Germany and the Netherlands (3.2%).

In Croatia, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate measured using ILO methodology was 6.4% in December 2019, decreasing by 0.1% compared to November. It is the lowest recorded level since Eurostat first measured it.

In December 2018, the unemployment rate was 7.3%, making Croatia one of the EU member states with the sharpest decrease in unemployment on a yearly basis, together with Greece and Bulgaria.

According to Eurostat, there were 115,000 unemployed people in December 2019 in Croatia, that is 1,000 fewer compared to November. Compared to December 2018, the number of unemployed people fell by 17,000 in December 2019.

The highest unemployment rates in the EU were recorded in Greece (16.6% in October), followed by Spain (13.7% in December).

More economy news can be found in the Business section.

ZAGREB, October 22, 2019 - A total of 1.56 million people in Croatia were gainfully employed at the end of September 2019, which is 10,899 persons or 0.7% fewer than in the previous month, while the registered unemployment rate fell to 6.7% from 6.8% in August, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS).

Compared with September 2018, the number of people in work was 0.9% higher.

Data from the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) show 112,376 people were registered with the HZZ at the end of September 2019, down by 1.9% from August 2019 and by 13.9% from September 2018.

The registered unemployment rate, calculated as a share of unemployed people in the total active population, was 6.7% in September, compared with 6.8% in August.

The volume of construction work carried out in Croatia in August 2019 was 3.5% higher than in August 2018 and 1.1% lower than in July 2019, the National Bureau of Statistics (DZS) says.

The volume of construction work on buildings increased by 4% year on year, while the volume of work on other civil engineering structures, such as roads, railways, pipelines, dams and sporting grounds, rose by 2.6%.

Compared with July 2019, construction work fell by 0.4% on buildings and by 2.6% on other structures.

More economic news can be found in the Business section.