Unemployment in Bulgaria Rises to 3.5% in Q2 2026

Bulgarian unemployment has risen to 3.5% in the second quarter of 2026, up from 3.2% in the first three months of the year, according to data from the National Statistical Institute. The total number of unemployed is 107,100 people, with men accounting for about two thirds – 65,200 (60.9%), and women 41,900 (39.1%). The unemployment rate is 4% for men and 3% for women.

43% of the unemployed have been out of work for more than a year, while about 11.5% are looking for a job for the first time. Prolonged unemployment reaches 1.5%.

Among young people, the picture is more worrying: unemployment among those aged 15–29 reaches 8.1% in the second quarter, higher than the previous year's level by 0.1 percentage point.

On the opposite end, the number of employed people slightly increases. In the second quarter, employed persons number 2,917,900, which is 1,400 more than in the first three months of the year. The share of employed persons among the population aged 15 and over remains at 53%.

The largest number of employed is in the services sector – 1,951,600 people (66.9% of all employed). In industry, 816,200 people work (28%), and in the sectors of agriculture, forestry and fishing – 150,000 people (5.1%).

Source: Telenews