April 1, 2023 - The unemployment rate in the eurozone remained stable in February, and in Croatia it fell slightly, moving away from the average in the zone of application of the common European currency, a Eurostat report showed. Croatia employment rate is now similar to Slovakia's, according to the report.

As Index writes, in the 20-member eurozone, the unemployment rate measured by the methodology of the International Labor Organization (ILO) was 6.6 percent in February, remaining at the level of the previous month, according to revised data from the European Statistical Office.

In the EU, it was six percent, slipping by 0.1 percentage point compared to January. For the sake of comparison, in February 2022 it reached 6.8 percent in the eurozone, and 6.2 percent in the EU.

Eurostat estimates that there were 13.12 million unemployed in the EU in the second month of this year, of which 11.142 million were in the eurozone.

A comparison with January shows that the number of unemployed in the EU decreased by 24,000, and in the Eurozone by 59,000. On an annual level, their number decreased by 257 thousand in the Eurozone and by 247 thousand in the EU.

Croatia next to Lithuania

Spain and Greece are still the only ones with a double-digit unemployment rate, which reached 12.8 and 11.4 percent respectively in February.

In Croatia, the unemployment rate measured by the ILO methodology was 6.3 percent in February, sliding from 6.5 percent in January. In February 2022, it was 6.6 percent.

According to Eurostat data, 114,000 citizens were unemployed in Croatia in February, four thousand less than in the previous month, according to revised data. Compared to the same month last year, their number decreased by six thousand, the tables show.

The closest to Croatia in February was Lithuania with an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent. Slovakia is also close, where it was six percent.

The Czech Republic had by far the lowest unemployment rate in February, at 2.4 percent, followed by Poland with 2.8 percent and Germany with 2.9 percent. Malta and Slovenia are close, with an unemployment rate of three and 3.2 percent, respectively.

Stable youth unemployment

The unemployment rate of citizens under the age of 25 in February in the eurozone was 14.4 percent, the same as in the previous month.

In the EU, it increased by 0.1 percentage point on a monthly basis, to 14.5 percent. In February of last year, it was 14.2 percent in both areas, Eurostat tables show.

The statistical office estimates that 2,799 million young people were unemployed in the EU in February, of which 2,283 million were in the eurozone.

The number of unemployed young people in the eurozone in February was thus 125,000 higher than in the same period in 2022, and in the EU by 173,000, Eurostat announced.

Four countries above 20 percent

Greece had the highest youth unemployment rate in February, at 29.7 percent. Spain follows with 29.3 percent, Italy with 22.4 percent and Sweden with 22.2 percent. Slovakia is very close to them with a rate of 19.9 percent.

Among the EU countries with data available to Eurostat, Germany had the lowest youth unemployment rate in February, at 5.7 percent. The Czech Republic followed with 7.2 percent and the Netherlands with 7.8 percent.

Croatia, Belgium, Cyprus, Romania and Slovenia are not obliged to submit monthly data on unemployment, but submit them on a quarterly basis.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Croatia recorded an unemployment rate of 18 percent in that age group, with 27,000 young people without a job, confirmed the latest Eurostat table of revised figures from the report published last month.

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March the 22nd, 2023 - As is the norm in the spring because of the hunt for seasonal workers, the picture offered on a county by county basis by Croatian unemployment records is staggered, with some counties experiencing large declines and others stagnancy and increases.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Jadranka Dozan writes, quite traditionally at this time of the year, the domestic labour market is usually under the influence of increased seasonal employment, meaning that the number of unemployed individuals registered in the records of the Croatian Employment Service (CES) has decreased by about 3,500 over the last 20 days of March, down to the current 14,400.

Over more recent days, the aforementioned institute published a detailed picture of developments from within the Croatian unemployment records over the first two months of 2023. About 188,000 registered unemployed people at the end of February compared to the previous month means a drop of almost 4,400, and on the annual level, the number of unemployed individuals stood at about 12,500.

Although the number of unemployed women remains higher than the number of unemployed men, in year-on-year comparisons, a stronger decline has been recorded among women (11.7 vs. 6.8%). Percentage-wise, in that year unemployment decreased the most, by about 15 percent, among the older age groups (from 50 to 54 and from 55 to 59 years old), while for example, the rate of reduction among people between the ages of 25 and 29 years stood at 6.4%.

If employment trends are observed by level of education, in annual comparisons held in Croatian unemployment records, there are more unemployed people, and that's only slightly, only among those without school diplomas and among those who didn't complete elementary school, and the largest decrease has been recorded among those with a university education (more precisely a decrease of 12.6%) .

Likewise, out of a total of 21 counties, only three of them (Varazdin County, Medjimurje County and Virovitica-Podravina County) had more people registered as unemployed back at the end of last month than they did one year before, and the institute recorded the biggest relative decline in Vukovar-Srijem (by almost 20%) and in Lika-Senj County (-17%).

Back during February, 11,000 people registered with the CES unemployment register, or ten percent less than in the same month last year, and at the same time, 21% more, or about 15,400 people, left it. The majority of them left that status due to gaining employment. In that group, the largest number of people were employed in public administration, trade, processing industry and the tourism, hospitality and catering sector.

Based on other business activities, more than 460 people left the records of the enemployed last month. In the case of more than half of them, the reason was starting their own business by registering a trade or freelance profession, a fifth of them founded a company, and a quarter of them had their status terminated because they earn monthly income from another independent activity that exceeded the amounts of monetary benefits they're entitled to from the state for the year 2022. In the case of the other slightly more than 4,000 persons, deletions from the unemployment register are the result of retirement, non-compliance with legal provisions, self-deregistration from the register, and so on.

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August 5, 2022 - Croatia has for a long time had a dynamic relationship with employment, even more so the east of the country. Encouraging news of record low unemployment came in from Osijek.

As SiB writes, according to the latest data from the Osijek Regional Office of the Croatian Employment Service, at the end of June this year, 13,951 unemployed people were registered in the Osijek-Baranja County. That is 1.7% less than the previous month and 7.0% less than in June 2021. Since registered unemployment has been monitored on a statistical level, it has never happened that the number of unemployed fell below 14,000.

Record low unemployment is the result of continuous increased economic activity, the positive effects of which we are witnessing at all levels. According to the recently published data of FINA, the 2021 business year was particularly successful for entrepreneurs from Osijek-Baranja County, with total revenue of HRK 33.511 billion, which is an increase of 17.18% compared to 2020. The profit for the period amounted to HRK 1.833 billion, which is HRK 530 million or 40.68% more than in 2020, and as an export-oriented economy, the export of HRK 6.672 billion was achieved, which is an increase of 18.3% compared to 2020.

Considering the profit of entrepreneurs, Osijek-Baranja County is positioned fifth in terms of success, following the City of Zagreb, Zagreb County, Split-Dalmatia, and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, respectively.

“In addition to the growth in the number of entrepreneurs of 4.5% compared to last year, we also note a constant increase in the number of trades. At the end of June, 5,346 trades were operating in the County, which is 337 more than in June 2021. Our measures to encourage economic activity have certainly contributed to the record low numbers, by building entrepreneurial infrastructure, primarily the Economic Centre and the Regional Distribution Centre for fruits and vegetables, but also implementing specific projects to encourage employment”, said Prefect Ivan Anušić.

Osijek-Baranja is the only county in Croatia which in cooperation with the Croatian Employment Service, Osijek Regional Office, creates and finances training and retraining programs intended for long-term unemployed persons to find employment more quickly.

Over the past five years, almost 350 unemployed people have gone through various educational programs that were fully financed by the County, as well as the cost of transportation for unemployed people.

“We continuously monitor the needs of the market and try to react with our measures. The retraining and additional training financed by the Osijek-Baranja County proved to be quality measures because 60% of people find employment afterward. Considering the excellent results of the implemented activities, in the budget for 2022 we planned a record amount of HRK 600,000.00 for the continuation of these programs”, said Prefect Anušić.

The Osijek-Baranja County continues to monitor trends in the economy and encourage the development of entrepreneurship and craftsmanship, which, judging by the results of operations last year, contributed to the improvement of the entrepreneurial climate, it was concluded.

July the 13th, 2022 - The Croatian unemployment rate is at its lowest since the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ/CES) has been keeping official records. This might sound incredible, but this is a typical trend in the late spring and early summer months owing to seasonal employment for the tourism sector, as well as the ongoing demographic crisis.

The number of working age people leaving the country is continuing to increase, and the number of retirees or those who no longer need to work living in Croatia is on the up. Demography continues to dog the country's labour force, as do very seasonal trends in the Croatian unemployment rate.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the sixth month of this year was marked the lowest number of registered unemployed persons on the Croatian labour market since the Croatian Employment Service has been keeping official track of this data. The month of June's statistics show that 105,798 unemployed people were registered in that month alone, which is 20.4 thousand less than at the end of the same month last year.

June 2022 was the fifth month in a row in which the Croatian unemployment rate continued to fall on a monthly basis - compared to May, there were 4,040 or 3.7 percent fewer of them registered at the aforementioned institute. Currently, 107,444 unemployed persosn are registered at the institute, 1,646 more than there were back at the end of June. There are currently 17,619 job vacancies published by the CES.

During that month, 12,461 people were newly registered in the unemployment register, which is an increase of 1.3 percent compared to June last year. At the same time, 76.3 percent of newly registered persons or 9,506 persons came to the institute directly from their previous employment.

16,501 people left the unemployment register in June, which is 31.5 percent less than in June last year. Of these, 12,720 persons were employed, namely 11,720 persons (92.1 percent) on the basis of employment and 1,000 persons (7.9 percent) on the basis of other business activities.

For more on the Croatian unemployment rate, working in Croatia and seasonal trends, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

June the 29th, 2022 - Croatian youth unemployment is very low at this moment in time, not because of record economic growth or even because of the summer in which many people gain seasonal employment throughout the tourist season, but because of Croatia's ongoing demographic issues.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Josipa Ban writes, it has never been easy for young people on the labour market, and the global coronavirus pandemic has only worsened their position. This is highlighted by recent Eurostat statistics, because the Croatian youth unemployment rate (of those aged 15 to 29) increased from 15.8 percent during the pre-pandemic year of 2019 to 2.4 percent, and then to 18.2 percent in 2021.

Croatia, however, isn't at all following these negative trends - but not for a good reason. Croatian youth unemployment rates are lower than the EU average and are continually falling. Back in 2019 it stood at 10.5 percent, and last year it dropped even further, down to 9.9 percent.

Predrag Bejakovic, a scientist at the Institute of Public Finance, explains that there are several reasons for the Croatian unemployment rate being as it is, as well as other such trends.

"The first is emigration. We don’t know the exact numbers of how many people emigrated, but the fact is that a significant number of people have left Croatia. If someone leaves, then they're usually younger people,'' says Bejakovic, adding that, in addition to emigration, the decline in the Croatian youth unemployment rate is also influenced by demographic trends, ie the fact that the share of young people in the total population in this country is always falling.

"We shouldn't forget the generous government support, the measure of the Youth Guarantee and the situation on the labour market, which is characterised by a shortage of labour," said Bejakovic.

This was a challenge for Croatia even before the unprecedented coronavirus crisis emerged

''Such trends don't mean that it's become easy for young people to find work,'' says Marta Sveb, a research assistant at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) who addressed the problem of youth and the labour market in an analysis entitled "The Pandemic: Unemployment and the Lost COVID-19 Generation".

"Getting a job was challenging even before the coronavirus crisis, and then came the so-called an ice age when there were almost no employment opportunities due to the lockdowns,'' says Sveb. The current position of young people is again, due to the war in Ukraine and the consequent energy crisis, very uncertain.

"It's to be expected, on the one hand, that employers will employ less and less due to this crisis. On the other hand, the situation on the labour market has changed significantly and employers are facing a shortage of workers. What it will be like and what the perspective of the young people is, it's really difficult to say,'' says Bejakovic, adding that everything will depend on the outcome of the war in Ukraine.

The perspective of young people, adds Marta Sveb, due to the fourth industrial revolution, will also depend on their skills.

“The World Economic Forum points to trends of declining demand for workers in the segments that have traditionally employed the most workers in previous generations. These were, for example, data entry workers, administrative and factory workers. On the other hand, there's a growing demand for highly specialised STEM profiles,'' warns Sveb.

This generation, states the young scientist, faces challenges at every single step. But that doesn’t have to all be so bad, she adds.

"We can look at challenges as an obstacle or as an opportunity," she said, adding that those who will work to further develop their skills in those sectors, such as the green economy, will certainly find employment. The education system should, of course, be adapted to this, but for those who want success, it's much better not to wait.

There is work for everyone

The differences in the youth unemployment rates among the member states of the European Union are also interesting. They vary from 28 percent in Spain and Sweden to three and eight percent in the Czech Republic and Luxembourg.

"Unemployment in the Czech Republic is low, so youth unemployment also is. On the other hand, the general unemployment rate across the Mediterranean countries, such as Spain, Greece and Italy, is high, so it's harder for young people in those countries to find work as well,'' he concluded.

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ZAGREB, 1 June 2022 - Unemployment in the European Union and the euro area remained unchanged in April 2022, and in Croatia it dropped under the EU average for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a report from Eurostat showed on Wenesday.

The EU unemployment rate, measured by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) methodology, in April was 6.2% in the EU and 6.8% in the euro area remaining unchanged from March, Eurostat reported.

In April 2021, the unemployment rate was 7.5% in the EU and 8.2% in the euro area.

A total of 13.264 million EU citizens were unemployed in April, including 11.181 million in the euro area.

Compared with March, their number decreased by 89,000 in the EU and by 96,000 in the euro area. Compared with April 2021, their number fell by 2.543 million in the EU and by 2.175 million in the euro area. 

Croatia alongside Lithuania

Spain and Greece again recorded two-digit unemployment rates in April 2022, the highest rates among EU members, at 13.3% and 12.7% respectively. Italy followed with an unemployment rate of 8.4%.

In Croatia, the unemployment rate was 6.1% in April, down by 0.2 percentage points from March. In April 2021, it was 8.2%.

There were 111,000 jobless people in Croatia in April 2022, two thousand fewer than in March. Compared with April 2021, their number fell by 37,000.

The closest unemployment rate to Croatia was registered in Lithuania with a rate of 6.2%.

The Czech Republic continued to record the lowest unemployment rate in the EU, at 2.4%. It was followed by Germany and Poland (3%), and Malta (3.1%).

Insignificant decrease in youth unemployment

In the age group under 25, the unemployment rate in the European Union and the euro area dropped mildly in April, by 0.1 percentage points from March to 13.9%. In April last year, it was 18.4% in the EU and 18.6% in the euro area.

There were 2.6 million unemployed young people in the EU in April 2022, including 2.12 million in the euro area.

Compared with March, the number of unemployed people dropped by 6,000 in the EU and by 1,000 in the euro area.

Compared with April 2021, their number fell by 685,000 in the EU and by 555,000 in the euro area.

The highest youth unemployment rates in April were reported by Spain and Greece, at 28.9% and 36.8% respectively. The lowest rate was recorded by Ireland at 5.6%, followed by Germany at 5.7%.

In Q1 2022, Croatia registered a youth unemployment rate of 15.9%, with 23,000 jobless young people.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

May the 13th, 2022 - The number of individuals registered as unemployed at the Croatian Employment Service dropped by an encouraging 20 percent back in April, which, while hope giving, occurs annually due to Croatia's seasonality when it comes to labour.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, back the end of April this year, 118,922 unemployed persons were registered officially in the records of the Croatian Employment Service (CES), which is a decrease of 5.3 percent on a monthly basis and 20 percent on an annual basis, according to the Croatian Emplotment Service's data.

April is the third month in a row in which the number of unemployed people across the Republic of Croatia continued to fall on a monthly basis, and when compared to March, there are 6,682 fewer of them registered with the aforementioned institution.

The Croatian Employment Service's data shows that, under the influence of the typical seasonal trends which take place annually on the Croatian labour market with regard to the needs of the tourism sector and preparations for the height of the summer tourist season, this marked decline in the number of unemployed people will more than likely continue throughout the month of May.

Namely, 114,163 unemployed persons are currently registered at the Croatian Employment Service, which is 4,759 people less than were registered there back at the end of April. Currently, 23,024 vacancies have been announced at the Croatian Employment Service, and their statistics show that the number of registered unemployed people decreased by 29,822 per year.

During April this year, a total of 11,421 people were newly registered in the unemployment register, which represents 3.1 percent more than were registered back in April last year.

At the same time, 69.7 percent of newly registered individuals (equal to 7,960 people) came to the Institute directly from their previous employment. In April, most people came directly from the manufacturing industry - 1,205 people (15.1 percent).

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

11 April 2022 - A total of 125,604 unemployed persons were registered with the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) at the end of March 2022, down by 3.7% from the previous month and by 19.3% from March 2021.

March was the second month in a row to see a decline in the number of unemployed persons on a monthly level. There were 4,849 fewer of them compared with February. Compared with March 2021, their number decreased by 29,984.

Daily figures indicate that the number of unemployed persons will continue to fall in April as well. On Monday, 122,139 job seekers were registered with the HZZ, which is 3,465 fewer than at the end of March, and 23,702 vacancies were advertised.

In March, 13,181 job seeker signed up with the HZZ, 0.3% fewer than in March last year.

14 February, 2022 - A total of 130,993 unemployed persons were registered with the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ) at the end of January 2022, up by 4.2% from the previous month and down 20.8% while compared with January 2021, the HZZ said on Monday.

HZZ records show that there were 5,278 unemployed people or 4.2% more at the end of January 2022 than at the end of December 2021.

Daily figures, available on the HZZ website, show that 129,817 unemployed persons are currently registered with the HZZ, which is 1,176 fewer than at the end of January. Currently, HZZ has 29,810 job vacancies advertised.

A comparison of data from the previous month shows that at the end of January 2022 there were 34,352 jobseekers or 20.8% fewer than at the end of January 2021.

A total of 16,683 people registered with the HZZ in January 2022, which is 3.4% more than in January 2021. HZZ also notes that 11,405 people were signed off from the unemployment register, which is 7.3% more than in January 2021.

In January 2022 a total of 29,396 people, or 22.4% of the total number of unemployed persons, were eligible for the dole, which is 18.8% or 6,788 fewer than in January 2021, HZZ reported.

ZAGREB, 10 Jan 2022 - The unemployment rate in the European Union (EU), the euro area, and Croatia in November dropped to its lowest level since March 2020 and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by Eurostat released on Monday.

The European Union's unemployment rate, measured by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) methodology, in November, fell by 0.2 percentage points compared to the month before, to 6.5%.

In the euro area, it slid by 0.1 percentage point to 7.2%.

In both areas, the joblessness rate thus reached its lowest level since March 2020, when COVID-19 started spreading across the world.

According to Eurostat, there were 13.984 million unemployed persons in the EU in November 2021, including 11.829 million in the euro area.

Compared to October 2021, their number declined by 247,000 in the EU and by 222,000 in the euro area. Compared to November 2020, the number of unemployed persons decreased by 1.659 million in the EU and by 1.411 million in the euro area.

In November 2021, Spain and Greece were the only EU countries to record a double-digit unemployment rate, of 14.1% and 13.4% respectively.

Croatia's unemployment rate, measured by the ILO methodology, dropped to 7.1% from a revised 7.3% in October. An earlier estimate for October indicated an unemployment rate of 7%.

That is the lowest unemployment rate since the outbreak of coronavirus in March 2020, when it was 6.5%. In the February before the pandemic, it was 5.9%.

In November, Croatia thus ranked alongside Finland and Latvia, which had unemployment of 7.2% and 7.3% respectively.

There were 127,000 unemployed persons in Croatia in November, according to Eurostat, or 4,000 fewer than in October. Compared to November 2020, their number decreased by 26,000.

The lowest unemployment rate in November was registered by the Czech Republic, of 2.2%. It was followed by the Netherlands (2.7%), Poland (3%), and Germany (3.2%).

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