Published on: 30 January 2018

Unemployment rate decreased to 3.8%

In the period of October–December 2017, the average number of unemployed people was 175 thousand, 30 thousand fewer than a year earlier, and the unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage point to 3.8%. The unemployment rate was lower for men than for women, and the rate of improvement was also higher among them.
The annual average number of the unemployed was 192 thousand in 2017, 43 thousand fewer than in 2016. The unemployment rate was 4.2%, 1.0 percentage point lower than in the previous year.

In October–December 2017, compared to a year before:

The number of the unemployed among 15–74 year-old men decreased by 27 thousand to 83 thousand, and their unemployment rate by 1.1 percentage points to 3.3%. Regarding women, the number of the unemployed declined within the limits of the sampling error to 92 thousand, and their unemployment rate to 4.4%.

The unemployment rate of the 15–24 age group decreased by 1.4 percentage points to 10.2%, yet one-fifth of unemployed still belonged to this age group. The unemployment rate of those aged 25–54, i.e. persons belonging to the ‘best working age’ as well as that of people aged 55–64 decreased, by 0.4 percentage point to 3.4% in the former and by 1.2 percentage points to 2.7% in the latter age group.

The average duration of unemployment decreased to 15.6 months; 40.0% of unemployed people had been searching for a job for one year or more, i.e. were long-term unemployed.

The unemployment rate of people aged 15–74 increased in the regions of Transdanubia, while in Central Hungary and the eastern regions of Hungary, it decreased. The most significant change occurred in Northern Great Plain where the unemployment rate fell by 1.6 percentage points to 6.4%, nevertheless, the level of unemployment was the highest here, while the lowest, 2.2% in Central Hungary.

At the end of December 2017, compared to a year earlier:

According to the administrative data of the National Employment Service (http://eu.munka.hu/), the total number of registered jobseekers decreased by 6.9% to 255 thousand.

Unemployment among 15–74* year-olds by age groups, October–December 2017

Age group, year-old Number Unemployment rate
thousand persons change, thousand personsa) % change, percentage pointa)
15–2434.6–6.210.2–1.4
25–54121.5–14.23.4–0.4
55–7419.1–9.42.5–1.2
Total175.2–29.83.8–0.7

* Data of the 15-64 age group are available (2.1.0.2. STADAT-table).
a) Compared to the same period of the previous year.

In January–December 2017, compared to a year before:

The number of the 15–74 year-old unemployed decreased by 43 thousand to 192 thousand, and the unemployment rate diminished by 1.0 percentage point to 4.2%.

The number of the unemployed among 15–74 year-old men decreased by 32 thousand to 96 thousand, and their unemployment rate by 1.3 percentage points to 3.8%. The unemployment indicators of women declined to a lesser extent than that of men; their number fell by 11 thousand to 96 thousand, and their unemployment rate by 0.5 percentage point to 4.6%.

The change was the most significant among young people, their unemployment rate decreased by 2.2 percentage points to 10.7%. The unemployment rate of the 25–54 and the 55-64 age group decreased to the same extent, by 0.8 percentage point and was 3.7% in the former and 3.6% in the latter age group.