Unemployment rate decreased to 4.5%
In the period of January–March 2017, the number of unemployed people was 207 thousand, 66 thousand fewer than a year earlier, and the unemployment rate decreased by 1.5 percentage points to 4.5%. The unemployment rate was lower for men than for women and the rate of improvement was also higher among them.
In January–March 2017, compared to a year before:
The number of 15–74 year-old unemployed men decreased by 38 thousand to 109 thousand, and their unemployment rate by 1.6 percentage points to 4.4%. The number of unemployed women declined by 28 thousand to 98 thousand, and their unemployment rate by 1.4 percentage points to 4.7%.
The unemployment rate of the 15–24 age group decreased by 3.9 percentage points to 10.3%, and their proportion within all unemployed slightly decreased; in the period, one-sixth of unemployed belonged to this age group. The unemployment rate of those aged 25–54, i.e. persons belonging to the ‘best working age’ decreased by 1.3 percentage points to 4.1%, and the rate for persons aged 55–64 fell by 1.2 percentage points to 4.3%.
The average duration of unemployment was 17.5 months; 45.1% 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 decreased in all regions. The change was the most significant in Northern Great Plain, where the unemployment rate decreased by 2.3 percentage points to 8.5%, but the decline was similar in Southern Great Plain as well, where the rate decreased by 2.2 percentage points to 4.6%. The rate was the lowest, 1.9% in Central Transdanubia, while, despite the outstanding improvement, it was the highest in Northern Great Plain among the regions.
At the end of March 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 16.6% to 351 thousand.
Unemployment among 15–74* year-olds by age groups, January–March 2017
| Age group, year-old | Number | Unemployment rate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| thousand persons | change, thousand personsa) | % | change, percentage pointa) | |
| 15–24 | 34.3 | –13.6 | 10.3 | –3.9 |
| 25–54 | 141.9 | 44.7 | 4.1 | –1.3 |
| 55–74 | 30.6 | –7.7 | 4.1 | –1.2 |
| Total | 206.8 | –66.0 | 4.5 | –1.5 |
* 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.