Georgian unemployment up 2.1% in 2021, largest increase observed in capital

Unemployment rate in Georgia increased by 2.1 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year and reached 20.6 percent across the country, data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia shows.

In urban areas, the unemployment rate increased by 1.9 percent year-on-year, while in rural areas it went up by 2.4 percent.

The biggest rise in the unemployment rate was observed in Tbilisi, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Imereti regions," Geostat said.

"In 2021, compared to the previous year, this indicator increased by 1.6 percentage points for women and by 2.5 percentage points for men," Geostat said. Traditionally, figures have shown higher unemployment rates among men compared to the statistics for women.

The highest rate of unemployment was observed in the 15-19 age group (52.2 percent), while the indicator has traditionally been lowest in the 65+ age group (6 percent) due to the “low activity” of the population in this age group, according to Geostat.