Unemployment rate decreased to 3.7%
In the period of March–May 2018, the average number of unemployed people was 171 thousand, 32 thousand fewer than a year earlier, and the unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage point to 3.7%. With a similar degree of improvement, the unemployment rate was lower for men than for women.
In March–May 2018, compared to a year before:
The number of the unemployed among 15–74 year-old men decreased by 16 thousand to 87 thousand, and their unemployment rate by 0.7 percentage point to 3.5%. Regarding women, the rate of change was similar, the number of the unemployed declined by 16 thousand to 83 thousand, and the unemployment rate by 0.8 percentage point to 4.0%.
Unemployment among people aged 15–24 decreased, their number declined by 8 thousand to 28 thousand and their unemployment rate by 2.1 percentage points to 8.8%. 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 0.4 percentage point to 3.5% in the former and by 1.5 percentage points to 2.5% in the latter age group.
The average duration of unemployment was 17.9 months; 45.3% of unemployed people had been searching for a job for one year or more, i.e. were long-term unemployed.
At the end of May 2018, compared to a year earlier:
According to the administrative data of the National Employment Service (https://nfsz.munka.hu/), the total number of registered jobseekers decreased by 15% to 244 thousand.
Unemployment among 15–74* year-olds by age groups, March–May 2018
| Age group, year-old | Number | Unemployment rate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| thousand persons | change, thousand personsa) | % | change, percentage pointa) | |
| 15–24 | 28.0 | –8.1 | 8.8 | –2.1 |
| 25–54 | 123.3 | –13.6 | 3.5 | –0.4 |
| 55–74 | 19.2 | –10.8 | 2.5 | –1.5 |
| Total | 170.6 | –32.5 | 3.7 | –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.