Bulgaria's jobless rate drops to 5.9 pc in March

 SOFIA: Bulgaria's unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent in March from 6.2 percent in the previous month as employers are hiring bartenders and hotel staff for the summer holiday season, data from the state employment agency showed on Monday.

Some 194,603 people were unemployed in the Black Sea country of 7 million during last month, when 23,754 found work.

The jobless rate was 6.8 percent in March, 2018.

The agency, which calculates the rate based on the number of officially registered unemployed, said about 4,398 people were involved in government-sponsored programmes in March.

The Finance Ministry expects an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent this year as domestic demand picks up, boosting the economy.