The unemployment rate climbed 0.2 pp from 6.9% in the previous three- month period and is also significantly higher than the 6.1% rate recorded in the same period last year.
On a three-month average, the number of unemployed persons according to ILO methodology increased by 45,200 year on year to 297,400, and by 10,600 compared to the previous three-month period. Meanwhile, the size of the workforce was 3.87 million in January-March, 20,900 less than the base figure - the difference is less than the margin of statistical error.
The 7.1% three-month unemployment rate compares to a 8.6% average unemployment rate in EU-15 countries and 9.4% in the EU overall in February, the midpoint of the three-month period, the KSH said.
Among the population aged 15-74, the labor market participation rate was 54% in January-March. The economy's employment rate was 50.1% in the same period, down from its autumn peak of 50.7%.
