Unemployment

Unemployment rate in Bulgaria in March retained its level of 12.2%, shows data of the Employment Agency. 

The percentage is unchanged, compared to January and February of this year. According to the head of the agency Asen Angelov, this was a good sign because it stopped the trend of increasing unemployment and because in winter unemployment traditionally grew. 

Some 253 thousand Bulgarians are unemployed, and are not actively seeking for a job, according to Eurostat latest data on potential additional labor force in the EU.

BELGRADE - In March, 790,501 people were registered with the National Employment Service (NZS), which reflects a drop of 0.39 percent or 3,124 people when compared to February.

According to a NZS release, 17.73 percent of those have been looking for a job for one-two years, while 9.2 percent have been on a job search for more than 10 years.

 Angel Gurria speaks to Kathimerini about the Greek economy and foresees growth of up to 20 pct of GDP over the next 5-20 years

By Eleni Varvitsiotis

Consumer prices in Bulgaria will drop by 0.4% in 2014, which means there will be deflation, said the IMF in its spring World economic outlook. 

The Fund has increased its forecast for Bulgaria's GDP by 0.1%, to 1.6%. The expectations for the unemployment, however, remain pessimistic. It is expected that by the end of the year it will be 12.5%. 

The number of workplace gender discrimination charges in Greece went up by 25 percent, according to a Citizens’ Advocate (Ombudsman) report released on Monday.

“The crisis and its consequences clearly reflect on the quality of jobs and occupations available to women,” said the survey, which put the number of reported discrimination cases at 327.

The productivity in certain sectors increases but this does not affect wages, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria president Plamen Dimitrov claimed.

By Marcus Bensasson & Mark Evans

Antonis Samaras’s mission to end Greece’s exile from bond markets faces a reality check this week as data shows how deeply the economy remains mired in deflation with the worst jobless rate in the euro area.

Greek retail sales by volume fell 1.9 percent in January from the same month last year, statistics service ELSTAT said on Friday.

The reading had dropped at an annual pace of 6.1 percent in December.

The quality of life of children in Greece has worsened due to cuts in social benefits, a growing number of unemployed parents, increasing poverty levels and inadequate access to medical care, according to a report by the children’s charity UNICEF, whose findings were made public on Thursday.