Bulgaria jobless rate flat at 5.3pc in September

• The unemployment rate to drop to 4.6pc this year and further to 4.1pc in 2020.
• 172,781 people were unemployed in the Balkan country of 7 million during September and 18,881 found work.

SOFIA: Bulgaria's unemployment rate remained flat at 5.3pc for a third consecutive month in September, data from the state employment agency showed as the number of Bulgarians without a job dropped by over 11,000 compared with the same month a year ago.

Some 172,781 people were unemployed in the Balkan country of 7 million during September and 18,881 found work.

The agency, which calculates the rate based on the number of people officially registered as unemployed, said 1,448 people were involved in government-sponsored programmes in September.

The finance ministry expects the unemployment rate to drop to 4.6pc this year and further to 4.1pc in 2020.