The employment rate of Bulgarians aged 20 to 64 increased by 2 % in 2015 compared to the previous year.

This is revealed by the latest figures of Eurostat released on Tuesday.

In 2014, the employment rate in Bulgaria stood at 65.1 %, while last year it reached 67.1 %.

As in previous years, employment rate continued to be higher among men (70.4 %) than women (63.8 %).

Bulgaria's employment rate was 3 % below the average for the EU, which was 70.1 % in 2015.

The employment rate of Bulgarians aged 55 to 64 increased by 3 % compared to 2014, reaching 53 % last year, which is slightly below the EU average of 53.3 %.

Overall, the employment rate of Europeans aged 22 to 64 increased by 0.9 % in 2015 compared to the previous year.

The employment rate grew both among European men and women as well as among Europeans aged 55 to 64.

The employment rate increased in almost each of the 28 member states, except for Belgium and Finland, with the growth in Bulgaria being among the strongest.

The highest employment rate was registered in Sweden (80.5 %), followed by Germany, the UK, Denmark, Estonia and the Netherlands, with all five countries exceeding the 75 % mark.

The lowest employment rate was recorded in Greece (54.9 %), followed by Croatia, Italy and Spain.

Employment rates among men and women continued to vary considerably across member states, with the narrowest gender employment gap registered in Finland, followed by Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden and Bulgaria.

The gender employment gap was widest in Malta, followed by Italy, Greece, Romania and the Czech Republic.

The employment rate of Europeans aged 55 to 64 continued to increase, reaching 53.3 % in 2015.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!