Published on: 29 May 2018

Unemployment rate decreased to 3.8%

In the period of February–April 2018, the average number of unemployed people was 177 thousand, 32 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 for them.

In February–April 2018, compared to a year before:

The number of the unemployed among 15–74 year-old men decreased by 20 thousand to 87 thousand, and their unemployment rate by 0.8 percentage point to 3.4%. Regarding women, the rate of change was smaller, the number of the unemployed declined by 12 thousand to 90 thousand, and the unemployment rate by 0.6 percentage point to 4.3%.

Unemployment among people aged 15–24 changed within the limits of the sampling error, their number was 31 thousand, while their unemployment rate was 9.6%. More than one-sixth of the unemployed belonged to this age group. The unemployment rate of the age group 25–54, i.e. persons belonging to the ‘best working age’ and that of people aged 55–74 decreased as well, by 0.5 percentage point to 3.6% in the former and by 1.7 percentage points to 2.5% in the latter age group.

The average duration of unemployment was 17.1 months; 43.5% of unemployed people had been searching for a job for one year or more, i.e. were long-term unemployed.

At the end of April 2018, 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 16.1% to 258 thousand.

Unemployment among 15–74* year-olds by age groups, February–April 2018

Age group, year-old Number Unemployment rate
thousand persons change, thousand personsa) % change, percentage pointa)
15–2430.9–3.19.6–0.6
25–54127.2–16.53.6–0.5
55–7418.9–12.52.5–1.7
Total177.0–32.13.8–0.7

* 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.