With tourist season approaching, it is expected that the trend will continue.
According to the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ), there were 276,406 unemployed persons in Croatia at the end of March, which was 13,023 persons or 4.5 percent less than in February. This was the second consecutive month with the recorded decrease in unemployment numbers on a monthly basis, after a five month period of continuous increase. Year-on-year, the number of unemployed in March decreased by 13.4 percent or 42,805 people, reports liderpress.hr on April 12, 2016.
On a monthly basis, a drop in the unemployment numbers was recorded in February for the first time since August last year, and this can be attributed to the beginning of seasonal employment, especially in the tourist sector. The decrease, as the current data shows, is continuing in April as well.
As for full-time employment, it was mostly recorded in the sectors of tourism and hospitality, followed by processing industry, wholesale and retail. Next was construction, and then administrative and support service activities.
HZZ said that 8,590 people were taken off the list of unemployed persons for other reasons, such as leaving the workforce entirely or due to retirement, non-compliance with legal provisions (not actively looking for work, unavailable for work), checking out from the register of unemployed people, etc. Meanwhile, the number of newly-registered unemployed persons was 17,499 people, and this was 17.9 percent less than a year before.
Broken down by county, the numbers of newly-employed person were highest in Split-Dalmatia County, Zagreb, and Osijek-Baranja County. On the other hand, according to the Croatian Employment Service, the highest absolute number of unemployed persons, 41,029 or 14.8 percent of the total number of the registered unemployed people, was also recorded in the Split-Dalmatia County. That county is followed by the City of Zagreb with 36,008 unemployed persons or 13 percent of the total number, and Osijek-Baranja County with 31,245 or 11.3 percent. The lowest number of unemployed persons was registered in Lika-Senj County – 3,697 or 1.3 percent of the total number on the national level.
