The unemployment rate in Bulgaria fell to 3.9% in the first quarter of 2025, marking a significant drop of 1.1 percentage points compared to the same period last year, according to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The number of unemployed individuals stands at 116,700, with men making up 53.9% (63,000) and women 46.1% (53,700). Both men and women have almost equal unemployment rates, with men at 3.9% and women slightly lower at 3.8%.

Looking deeper into education levels among the unemployed, 14.2% hold higher education degrees, 50.9% have completed secondary education, and 34.9% possess only primary or lower education. The unemployment rate varies accordingly, standing at 1.4% for those with higher education, 3.7% for secondary education, and significantly higher at 15.4% for individuals with primary or less education.

Long-term unemployment, defined as lasting one year or more, affects 42.7% of the unemployed population, totaling 49,800 people. This translates to a long-term unemployment rate of 1.6%. Additionally, 12,200 individuals, or 10.5% of the unemployed, are searching for work for the first time.

For the younger workforce aged 15 to 29, unemployment is higher at 6.8%, with a notable difference between men (8.1%) and women (5.1%). This group saw a considerable decrease of 2.5 percentage points from the previous year, with men's unemployment rate dropping by 1.6 points and women’s by 3.6 points.

In terms of employment, the total number of employed persons reached 2,910,900 in the first quarter of 2025. Men represent 1,546,100 of this number, while women account for 1,364,800. The employment rate among the population aged 15 and over is 52.8%, broken down as 59.1% for men and 47.2% for women.

Employment sectors show that 68.5% (1,992,900) of workers are engaged in services, 26.8% (780,100) work in industry, and 4.7% (137,900) are employed in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. When considering employment status, 5.4% (156,000) are employers, 6.8% (197,500) are self-employed without employees, 87.6% (2,549,400) are employees, and 0.3% (8,000) are unpaid family workers. Most employed persons (74.4%, or 1,896,800) work in the private sector, while 25.6% (652,600) are in the public sector. Temporary employment accounts for 2.5% of workers, or 63,100 people.

Breaking down by age groups, the employment figures for those aged 15 to 64 total 2,799,800, with 1,485,900 men and 1,313,900 women. The employment rate for this demographic is 70.4%, standing at 73.8% for men and 66.9% for women. For younger individuals aged 15 to 29, the employment rate is notably lower at 34.0%, with 37.5% of men employed and 30.2% of women.

Among those aged 20 to 64, the employment rate is higher at 76.5%, with men at 80.3% and women at 72.6%. This figure increased by 0.6 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2024. The age group 55 to 64 has an employment rate of 69.7%, comprising 630,700 people, with men’s rate at 74.2% and women’s at 65.5%. This reflects a 0.4 percentage point rise from the previous year.

Economically inactive persons aged 15 and over number 2,483,500, with 40.6% (1,008,600) men and 59.4% (1,474,900) women. Within the working-age population (15-64), 1,061,700 are economically inactive, made up of 464,800 men and 596,900 women, representing 26.7% of this group (23.1% of men and 30.4% of women). Among these, 42.9% are inactive due to being in education or training. The discouraged workers—those who have stopped looking for employment—total 14,200, or 1.3% of the inactive population within the 15-64 age bracket.