Bulgaria: Plovdiv Outstrips Sofia in Number of Newly Unemployed

The beginning of 2021 had the most untoward impact on employment rate in Plovdiv region. The negative trend associated with the decrease in employment started with the imposition of measures against COVID-19, but continued in the first weeks of the new year.

Surprisingly, Plovdiv region outstrips even Sofia city in the number of newly registered unemployed. For the period from    4 January to 7 February in Plovdiv the number of unemployed increased by 3,397 people, writes trafficnews.bg. In the second place is the capital with 3,082 newly unemployed, and the top five are supplemented by Blagoevgrad /2,779/, Varna /2,252/ and Burgas /2,326/. And these are only the officially registered with the Labour Office, which means that actually the unemployed are far more.

The first working week of the new year was marked by the most serious peak of fired from work. In Plovdiv they are 1,065 and this is the highest rate for the country. The reason is that during holidays people usually take leave, which in turn delays the processes of dismissal or any other kind of leaving the job. In the next four weeks unemployment rates remained unchanged, but in the first week of February a new peak was recorded, and again Plovdiv took the lead in the country – 718 remained out of work.

The record for the largest difference between newly unemployed and people who have found a job is also held by Plovdiv region. For the period from 4 January to 7 February, the newly employed are 1,396, which makes the difference of2,001 people between the two categories. By comparison, 2,047 people have started new jobs in the capital, making the gap between employed and dismissed much narrower – 1,035 people.

In numerical expressions, however, we are still a long way from the serious decline in employment expected in March and April. The employment in Plovdiv region for the population over 15 years in the third quarter of 2020 was 55.7%, or 315,700 people, and for an age bracket of 15-64 years 70.8%,              or 302, 400 people. By comparison, for the same quarter of 2019 the data show employment in 15+ years – 57.1%,           or 323 800 people, and in age group of 15-64 years – 71.8% or 307,700 people.

So it turns out that in the strongest period of 2020, which falls on the summer months, about 8,000 fewer people worked in Plovdiv and the region. However, viewed on an annual basis and given that the data for the again critical last quarter is not yet available – the situation in general will be much more serious.

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