Bulgarian jobless rate edges up to 7.9pc in October

SOFIA: Bulgaria's jobless rate edged up to 7.9 percent in October from 7.8 percent a month earlier, the state employment agency said on Tuesday.

The agency said 258,223 people were unemployed in the Balkan country of 7.2 million people in October, 2,757 more than September, mainly due to the end of seasonal jobs.

The figure was lower than in October 2015, when 312,915 people were registered as unemployed. The jobless rate a year ago was 9.5 percent.

The finance ministry expects the unemployment rate to be 8.1 percent at the end of this year from 9.1 percent at the end of 2015 as domestic demand recovers. It expects the jobless rate to be 7.3 percent in 2017.