Macedonia: Unemployment rate dropped to 23,7 percent

State Statistics Bureau informed that the unemployment rate for 2016 was at 23,7 percent, and the employment rate reached 43,1 percent.

The labour participation rate is 56,5 percent.

By numbers, out of 948.599 persons in the active age group, 723.550 were employed and 225.049 registered as unemployed. The results show an improvement compared to 2015. The unemployment rate then was at 26,1 percent, and employment was at 42,1 percent with the labour participation rate at 57 percent. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the unemployment rate fell further, to 23,1 percent, a historic low for Macedonia.

By gender, men make up 61,3 percent of the active workforce over 15, while women are 38,7 percent. The Bureau informed that 555.894 people were employed in privately owned companies, while 167.657 worked for companies with public or mixed ownership structures.