Recent data released by the European Statistics Office Eurostat shows that the unemployment landscape in the European Union (EU) remained stable in February, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 6%. This figure mirrors the rates observed both in January 2024 and February 2023.

Similarly, within the eurozone, unemployment maintained consistency, registering at 6.5 % for February. This figure aligns with the rates recorded in January and represents a slight decline from the 6.6 % t reported in February of the previous year.

Eurostat's estimates indicate that in February 2024, the total number of unemployed individuals in the EU reached 13.249 million, with 11.102 million residing in the euro area. While the EU experienced a marginal decline of 13,000 unemployed individuals from January 2024, the euro area saw a slight increase of 17,000 individuals during the same period.

In comparison to February 2023, the EU witnessed a rise in unemployment figures, with 156,000 more individuals unemployed. Conversely, the euro area recorded a decrease of 30,000 unemployed individuals during the same timeframe. Bulgaria reported a steadfast unemployment rate of 4.4 % in February, maintaining parity with January's figures. However, this rate represents a slight uptick from the reported 4.1 % in February 2023.

During the reporting month, Bulgaria saw a total of 134,000 unemployed individuals, reflecting a marginal increase from January's 133,000 and 127,000 from the previous year.