Bulgaria's unemployment rate increased from last year in the first quarter, data released by the National Statistical Institute showed Tuesday.
The unemployment rate advanced to 12.9 percent in the first quarter from 12.2 percent in the same quarter last year. The unemployment rate among youth, aged between 15 and 024, was 31.4 percent during the quarter, up from last year's rate of 27.2 percent.
The number of unemployed persons in the country increased to around 421,400 in the three months ended March from about 402,000 in the same period a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the employment rate decreased to 45.1 percent in the first quarter from 45.6 percent in the same quarter last year. The number of employed persons dropped to around 2.85 million during the three-month period from 2.9 million in the first quarter of 2011, the agency said.
by RTT Staff Writer
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