Almost 150 000 Bulgarians have lost their jobs in the period between the last quarter of 2009 and a year later, according to data from the Bulgarian National Statistics Institute (NSI).

The data shows that the number of employed people in the last quarter of 2010 was with 147 900 less than the same period the previous year. Their total number was 3 023 700, which is 46.3% of all Bulgarian people above 15 years of age.

The statistics has also showed that employment has affected more men than women.

In the last quarter of 2010, the economically active population is 3 358 999. The economic activity rate is 66.9%, which compared to the last quarter of 2009 has remained almost unchanged.

Most of the people who lost their jobs in the period Q4 of 2009 - Q4 of 2010 had primary or lower education – 17,7%, while only 3% of the people with secondary education and 1.6% of the people with higher education lost their jobs.

In that period, unemployment was a bigger problem in the private sector, where the number of hired people dropped by 5.4%, while in the public sector, the percentage was 3%.

In the last quarter of 2010, the total number of unemployed was 382 400, which is 109 600 more than the same period in 2009.

According to the data for the period, the unemployed people below 24 years of age were 70 400 and youth unemployment was 26.5%.

NSI has also announced that 199 800 people, or 52.2% of all unemployed, have remained without jobs for more than a year. The index of long-term unemployment increased by 2.5 points and reached 5.9% in the period between the last quarter of 2009 and the last quarter of 2010.

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