One in five under 24 years of age was unemployed in 2007

The unemployment rate among young people under the age of 24 is among the highest in the European Union, third in Q3 2007, after Greece and France. ILO reported 6.1 percent unemployment throughout the country, similar to 6 percent in Q2 2007, but down from 7.2 percent in Q3 2006. In terms of sexes, there was a 2.3 percentage point difference in the two ILO unemployment rates (7.2 percent for males, and 4.9 percent for females), while the difference according to residential environments amounted to 2.7 percentage points (7.3 percent for urban unemployment and 4.6 percent in rural areas). According to Romanian methodology, used by the National Agency for Employment (ANOFM), the Romanian unemployment rate was an average 4.13 percent in the last three months of 2007.

The employment rate of the population apt to work (15-64 years of age) was reported at 57.9 percent in Q4 2007. This rate is some 12.1 percentage points away from the 70 percent target set for 2010, according to the Lisbon Strategy. Romania’s active population in Q4 2007 was 9.77 million persons, of whom 9.17 million were employed, and 599,000 ILO unemployed.