Bulgaria’s Unemployment Drops to 3.6% While Over 13% of Jobless Hold Higher Education

Bulgaria’s labor market in the second quarter of 2025 shows a stable employment picture, with notable trends in education, sector distribution, and economic activity. The unemployment rate fell to 3.6%, marking a decline of 0.7 percentage points compared to the same quarter in 2024. Meanwhile, the employment rate for the population aged 15 to 64 remained steady at 71.0%, while the economic activity rate slightly decreased to 73.7%, down 0.4 percentage points from the previous year, according to the National Statistical Institute (NSI).

The total number of unemployed in this period reached 110.5 thousand, comprised of 60.8 thousand men (55.0%) and 49.7 thousand women (45.0%). Among those without work, 13.4% hold higher education qualifications, 52.2% have secondary education, and 34.4% possess primary or lower levels of education. The unemployment rates by education level reveal marked disparities: 1.3% for those with higher education, 3.5% for secondary education holders, and 13.0% among those with primary or lower education.

Long-term unemployment remains a significant issue, with 46.8 thousand individuals - or 42.4% of all unemployed - out of work for one year or longer. This group represents a long-term unemployment rate of 1.5%. Additionally, 15.4 thousand people (14.0%) are seeking employment for the first time. Youth unemployment among individuals aged 15 to 29 stands at 8.0% overall, with 8.6% for men and 7.1% for women. This represents a marginal increase of 0.1 percentage points compared to the same quarter last year, driven entirely by a rise among young men.

Employment figures show that 2,934.1 thousand individuals are working, including 1,554.2 thousand men and 1,379.9 thousand women. This corresponds to an overall employment rate of 53.2% for the population aged 15 and over, with 59.3% for men and 47.7% for women. Sectoral distribution highlights that the majority - 1,974.2 thousand, or 67.3% - work in services, followed by 804.3 thousand (27.4%) in industry, and 155.6 thousand (5.3%) in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.

By employment status, most Bulgarians are employees (86.8%, or 2,545.9 thousand), while 7.3% (214.6 thousand) are self-employed without employees, 5.5% (161.0 thousand) are employers, and 0.4% (12.6 thousand) work as unpaid family labor. Within the employed population, 1,906.1 thousand (74.9%) work in the private sector, with the remaining 639.8 thousand (25.1%) in the public sector. Temporary employment for a set period accounts for 74.6 thousand workers, representing 2.9% of the employed.

Economic inactivity remains significant, with 2,468.5 thousand people aged 15 and over outside the labor force. This includes 1,003.8 thousand men (40.7%) and 1,464.7 thousand women (59.3%). Among those aged 15 to 64, economically inactive individuals number 1,042.1 thousand (456.1 thousand men and 585.9 thousand women), representing 26.3% of the population in this age group - 22.7% of men and 29.9% of women. A substantial portion, 43.1%, is inactive due to participation in education or training, while discouraged workers - those who have stopped seeking employment - total 15.5 thousand, or 1.5% of the economically inactive population in the same age group.