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In December, the number of unemployed people aged 15–74 totaled 211,000, reflecting continued tightness in the labor market despite a gradual decline in employment over the course of the year.
Looking at the October–December 2025 period, the average number of employed people aged 15–74 was 4.642 million, down 46,000 from a year earlier. Employment declined among both genders, falling by 24,000 to 2.457 million among men and by 23,000 to 2.186 million among women.
Of the total, 4.457 million people were employed in the domestic primary labor market, 58,000 fewer than in the same period of the previous year. The number of public workers stood at 78,000, while 108,000 people were working abroad.
The employment rate for those aged 15–64 was virtually unchanged year-on-year at 74.8%, despite a simultaneous decline in both population and employment. The rate reached 78.5% for men and 71.1% for women.
Unemployment figures also remained stable in the fourth quarter. In the October–December period, the number of unemployed people aged 15–74 averaged 213,000, with the unemployment rate holding at 4.4%. The jobless rate was slightly higher for men at 4.5%, compared with 4.3% for women.
The average duration of job search was 12.7 months. Among the unemployed, 39.1% had been looking for work for less than three months, while 36.2% had been seeking employment for at least a year, pointing to persistent long-term unemployment challenges.
Administrative data from the National Employment Service showed a modest improvement toward year-end. The number of registered job seekers fell by 2.2% year-on-year to 216,000 at the end of December 2025.
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