Bulgaria Plagued by Staggering Youth Unemployment

Almost 50% of the Bulgarians between 15 and 34 years of age are unemployed, and most of them do not even seek jobs, according to the National Statistical Institute.

About 1 028 000 Bulgarians aged between 15 and 34 are economically active, which is 54.5% of the total number of the above-mentioned age group in the country.

The other 45.5%, or 860 300 not economically active, i.e. not seeking employment for a number of reasons. 29.2% of the total number of people between 15 and 34 years of age in Bulgaria (551 000) are enrolled in college, university, or other training courses, preventing them from becoming economically active.

About 7.5% (141 000 – of them 125 000 women) of the age group are not active on the world market for family reasons such as raising children. Some 4.0% (75 000) have said they feel discouraged from the labor market in Bulgaria, which is why they are not seeking jobs; 60% of them do not have high school education.

Even though some 45% (860 000) of the Bulgarians between 15 and 34 are not economically active, only 97 400 of them are registered as unemployed. This figure presents 40.9% of the total number of officially registered unemployed persons in the country.

The NSI data shows that about 80% of the young people in Bulgaria start work after they complete their degrees. Only 4.5% of them start their own business, and only 1.8% help in a family firm.

The young people in Bulgaria mostly find employment by applying directly to an employer or through friends and relatives. Only 3.3% find jobs through the bureaus of the Bulgarian Employment Agency, and only 2.2% - through career programs of their educational institution.

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