Unemployment

The Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) between the Ministries of National Economy and Finance, and Labor and Social Security has been signed, introducing the new unemployment benefit on a pilot basis.

By the close of the third quarter, preliminary data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) indicates that there were approximately 17,600 job vacancies across Bulgaria. This marks a decrease of nearly 1,000 positions compared to the end of the second quarter.

Registered unemployment totaled 962,050 individuals in November, down 6.4% from November 2023 and up 15.5% from October 2024, the Public Employment Service (DYPA) said in a report released on Friday.

The report said that 47.9% of registered unemployed (460,387) were long-term jobless, of whom 343,209 (35.7%) were men and 618,841 (64.3%) were women.

A new report from the European Commission highlights several critical challenges for Bulgaria, including adult digital learning, low nursery enrollment for children under three, and a high proportion of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs). These issues are part of the second package of the European Autumn Semester.

The Cypriot labor market has achieved its strongest performance in the past 15 years in 2024, driven by increased job creation, employment growth, reduced unemployment, and rising wages.

A new entrepreneurship support program for unemployed people aged 30-59 years old, with a focus on women, was signed by Minister of Labour and Social Security, Niki Kerameos.

Unemployed people aged 30 to 59 who join the entrepreneurship program of the Public Employment Service (DYPA) will receive financial support of 17,000 euros.

The goal of the program is to create small and medium-sized enterprises and, according to Labor Minister Niki Kerameus, emphasis will be placed on female entrepreneurship.

A new entrepreneurship support program for unemployed individuals aged 30-59, with an emphasis on women, has been signed by the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameus.

Social security contributions for more than 800,000 non-salaried workers, freelancers, self-employed professionals and farmers are expected to increase by 2.7% from January of the new year, following the average annual inflation of 2024.

The debate on the draft budget for 2025 continues for a second day in the Plenary session.