1. Main labour market results for the first quarter of 2012
The activity rate of population aged 15 - 64 was 65.4%, by 0.2 percentage points higher in comparison with the first quarter of 2011.
The employment rate of population aged 15 - 64 was 56.9%, or by 0.3 percentage points below the level registered during the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The unemployment rate was 12.9%, or by 0.7 percentage points higher compared to the same period of 2011.
Discouraged persons aged 15 - 64 were 245.7 thousand, or 14.3% of the total number of inactive persons in the same age group (1 712.7 thousand).
2. Employment
In the first quarter of 2012 the total number of employed persons (aged 15 and over) was 2 853.2 thousand, representing 45.1% of the population in the same age group. From all employed persons 1 492.5 thousand (52.3%) were men and 1 360.7 thousand (47.7%) were women. As
compared to the first quarter of 2011, the number of employed decreased by 51.2 thousand (1.8%) and the proportion of the population (aged 15 and over) declined by 0.5 percentage points. The drop in the number of men in employment (by 46.1 thousand) made up around 90% of the total decrease of employed persons for the period concerned.
The employment rate for population aged 15 - 64 was 56.9% and by sex it was 59.0% for men and 54.8% for women.
The employment rate for population aged 15 - 29 was 35.5% (38.7% and 32.1% for men and women respectively).
The employment rate for population aged 20 - 64 (an Europe 2020 indicator) dropped by 0.6 percentage points as compared to the first quarter of 2011, reaching 61.1% (63.5% for men and 58.7% for women).
Persons in employment aged 55 - 64 were 461.6 thousand and represented 43.9% of the population in the same age group.
3. Unemployment
In the first quarter of 2012 unemployed were 421.4 thousand persons, of whom 252.3 thousand were men and 169.0 thousand were women. In comparison to the first quarter of 2011, the number of unemployed rose by 4.8%.
The unemployment rate increased by 0.7 percentage points and during the first quarter of 2012 was 12.9%. The rate went up by 1.3 percentage points for men and by 0.1 percentage points for women and reached 14.5% and 11.0% respectively.
The number of long-term unemployed was 226.7 thousand, which was 53.8% of all unemployed and compared to the first quarter of previous year their number rose by 7.9%.
Source: National Statistical Institute