Romania had 656,000 unemployed in the first quarter of this year, which is 7.2 percent of the 9 million active people 15 to 64 years old, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INS).

The employment rate for working age population was 59.5 percent. The employment rate represents the weight of employed persons aged 15-64 years within total population in this age group.

The data for the first quarter of 2014 were estimated based on the number of residents as of January 1, 2014, and is not comparable to previously released data, INS mentioned. Previous data will be adjusted accordingly.

Statistics show that the unemployment rate is higher among young people, 15 to 24 years old, at 25.7 percent, and it decreases to some 3 percent for people above 55. Unemployment is higher for men, 8.1 percent, than for women, 6.1 percent.

Unemployment is also higher in urban areas, at 8.3 percent, than in rural areas, 5.9 percent, but this is partly due to the fact that many people in rural areas left to find work in other countries.

editor@romania-insider.com