(RTTNews) - Bulgaria's jobless rate among the labor force aged 15 years and over stood at 5.1% in the third quarter, down from 6.6% in the same quarter last year, the Labor Force Survey released by the National Institute of Statistics said Friday.

The jobless rate for the population aged between 15 and 64 fell to 5.2% in the third quarter from 6.7% in the same quarter last year.

During the quarter, there were 185,100 unemployed persons aged 15 years and over, and, there were 184,400 unemployed persons for the age group 15 to 64. The unemployment rate for the youth, aged between 15 and 24, stood at 11.4%, and there were 52,500 unemployed persons in this period.

Meanwhile, there were 3417,300 employed persons who were above the age of 15 in the third quarter, an increase from the 3315,500 persons last year. In the age group, 15-64, there were 3,360,300 employed, up from 3265,600 last year. The employment rate for the 15-64 age group was 65% in the latest quarter,up from 62.7% in the third quarter last year.

The statistical institute said there were 3,544,700 persons in the labor force in the age group 15-64, in the third quarter.

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