2018 data: unemployment rate reaches 15 year low in Georgia

The annual unemployment rate in Georgia decreased by 1.2 percentage points and equalled 12.7% in 2018.

It should be noted that the downtrend in the unemployment rate has been maintained during the last nine years, furthermore in 2018 unemployment rate reached the lowest level within the past 15 years”, said the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat).

In 2018, the economically active population constituted 63.9% of the working population (population of 15 years and older).

The employment level has been increased by 1.2 percentage points in Georgia’s urban areas compared to 2017, while in rural areas it has decreased by 3.4 percentage points.

In the urban areas the economic activity rate was decreased by 1.0 percentage point compared to the previous year, while in rural areas – by 3.1 percentage point”, said Geostat.

Geostat said that the unemployment rate is much lower in rural settlements than in urban settlements. In 2018, the unemployment rate in rural settlements was reduced by 3.5 percentage points compared to the previous quarter, while in urban settlements increased by 0.7 percentage points.

In 2018, the unemployment rate was increased in Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi and in the regions of Adjara, Imereti and Guria compared to2017, said Geostat.

The unemployment rate is higher in men (by 2.7 percentage points) than in women. The unemployment rate in women decreased by 1.5 percentage points and in men increased by 1.1 percentage points.