Unemployment rate decreased to 3.6%
In the period of April–June 2018, the average number of unemployed people was 165 thousand, 31 thousand fewer than a year earlier, and the unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage point to 3.6%. Although the degree of improvement was higher for women, their unemployment rate exceeded that of men.
In April–June 2018, compared to a year before:
The number of the unemployed among 15–74 year-old men decreased by 12 thousand to 88 thousand, and their unemployment rate by 0.5 percentage point to 3.5%. Regarding women, the rate of change was higher, the number of the unemployed declined by 19 thousand to 77 thousand, and the unemployment rate by 0.9 percentage point to 3.7%.
Unemployment among people aged 15–24 decreased as well, their number declined by 6 thousand to 31 thousand and their unemployment rate by 1.5 percentage points to 9.5%. Nearly one-fifth 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 3.3% in the former and by 1.5 percentage points to 2.1% in the latter age group.
The average duration of unemployment was 16.8 months; 42.9% 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 fell most in Southern Great Plain and Northern Great Plain, by 1.7 and 1.1 percentage points respectively. The regions of Pest and Western Transdanubia saw a decline, while changes in other regions remained within the limits of sampling error. The unemployment rate was the highest at 6.4% in Northern Great Plain and the lowest at 1.6% in Western Transdanubia.
At the end of June 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 14% to 241 thousand.
Unemployment among 15–74* year-olds by age groups, April–June 2018
| Age group, year-old | Number | Unemployment rate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| thousand persons | change, thousand personsa) | % | change, percentage pointa) | |
| 15–24 | 31.1 | –6.2 | 9.5 | –1.5 |
| 25–54 | 117.7 | –14.1 | 3.3 | –0.4 |
| 55–74 | 16.3 | –10.9 | 2.1 | –1.5 |
| Total | 165.1 | –31.2 | 3.6 | –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.