Unemployment in Bulgaria reached 12.9% in 2013.

Data by the National Statistical Institute cited by the website Expert.bg suggests it is up 0.6% compared to the previous year.

The number of Bulgarians currently out of work amounts to 436 000, with 250 000 (or 57.4%) permanently looking for a job.

More men (13.9%) than women (11.8%) are presently unemployed. Men, however, also have a bigger share of the labor market - 249 000 of them are employed, while women at work are 186 000.

The economically active share of the population comprises 3 322 700 people, which is up 1.3% compared to 2012.

High unemployment is considered a more and more troubling issue in Southern Europe and especially in Eurozone countries such as Greece, Italy and Spain, which were severely affected by 2009's financial crisis.

In Bulgaria, the ruling Bulgaria Socialist Party has promised to create 250 000 new jobs and thus to eradicate the problem, investing mostly in high-tech sectors but with an eye set on European re-industrialization schemes.

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