site.btaOver 11,500 Unemployed Start Work in February with Labour Offices' Assistance

In February, 11,544 unemployed found jobs with the assistance of labour offices in Bulgaria. Additionally, 735 employed individuals, students, and pensioners received assistance in changing or advancing their career paths. Thus, the total number of people who found employment during the month reached 12,279, the National Employment Agency said here on Monday. 

The registered unemployment rate in February was 5.4%, remaining unchanged from January 2026 and decreasing by 0.2 percentage points from February 2025. Compared to January, it remained at the same level, while compared to the same month of the previous year, it decreased by 0.2 percentage points. At the end of last month, there were 153,170 registered unemployed, with their number decreasing by 3.5% year-over-year.

The focus on economically inactive individuals remains significant, the National Employment Agency said. During the reporting period, over 4,950 people were motivated to take their first steps toward entering the labour market thanks to the targeted efforts of teams at labour offices, as well as Roma and youth mediators across the country.

In February, 837 people from vulnerable groups in the labour market began work under subsidized employment programmes. Among them were people with disabilities, young people without professional experience, individuals over 55, and the long-term unemployed. A total of 765 of them are employed in projects funded by Operational Programme Human Resources Development (2021–2027), co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus.

The National Employment Agency continues to consistently invest in improving the skills and adaptability of the workforce. Over 11,000 training vouchers were issued in February to unemployed and employed individuals - a tool for acquiring new skills and adequately responding to the demands of the modern economy, marked by accelerated digitalization and technological change.

On the business side, 8,923 job openings were reported in the primary labour market in February. The largest share of these was in manufacturing, hospitality and food services, public administration, trade and vehicle repair, education, agriculture, forestry and fishing, administrative and support services, transportation, warehousing and postal services, as well as other economic activities.

Among the most in-demand occupations in February were personnel in the personal services sector, caregivers, drivers of motor vehicles and mobile machinery, machine and equipment operators, salespeople, workers in the mining and manufacturing industries, construction and transportation, waste collection workers, business and administrative professionals, professionals in food, clothing, and wood product manufacturing, teachers, and others.

The unemployment rate is defined as the share of registered unemployed persons in the economically active population aged 15-64, as determined by the 2021 National Census.