Only one in three Bulgarians has a job with employment levels falling at a slower pace in the public sector than in private businesses, online news portal Investor.bg reported on Tuesday.
The total number of employed Bulgarians decreased by 2.0% on the year to 2.644 million in the third quarter of 2011. The jobless rate in the country of 7.36 million was 10.9% in November which means that one in three Bulgarians held a job. The balance is made up by pensioners, disabled people, permanently unemployed, students and people aged under 18.
The number of Bulgarians working in the public sector fell by an annual 0.8% in the third quarter while payrolls in the private sector were cut by 2.4%. The data suggests that the former has become a safe haven of employment during the economic downturn with practically one in nearly three Bulgarians holding a public job.
The employment data also highlights the fact that raising the retirement age is more than imperative, Investor.bg noted.