Croatia’s registered unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in May 2026 from 3.8% in April, reaching the lowest level since records began in December 1996. The number of unemployed persons declined 9.2% from the previous month to 61.3 thousand, while total employment rose 2.2% to 1.740 million. The labor force also increased 1.8% to 1.801 million. Paid employment in legal entities rose 1.9% to 1.494 million, while employment in crafts, trades, and freelance activities increased 4.1%. In contrast, the number of employed private farmers edged down 0.4%. Compared with May 2025, however, total employment fell 1.1%, paid employment in legal entities declined 1.5%, and the labor force contracted 1.7%, indicating that labor market conditions remained weaker than a year earlier. source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics

Unemployment Rate in Croatia decreased to 3.40 percent in May from 3.80 percent in April of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Croatia averaged 14.69 percent from 1996 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 23.60 percent in January of 2002 and a record low of 3.40 percent in May of 2026. This page provides - Croatia Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Croatia Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on July of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Croatia decreased to 3.40 percent in May from 3.80 percent in April of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Croatia is expected to be 4.10 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Croatia Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.40 percent in 2027 and 4.30 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-22 09:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Apr 3.8% 4.3% 4.4%
2026-07-01 09:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
May 3.4% 3.8% 3.8%
2026-07-21 09:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Jun 3.4% 3.7%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 1706.00 1701.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Job Vacancies 17253.00 20133.00 Dec 2025
Job Vacancy Rate 1.40 1.20 percent Mar 2026
Productivity 105.10 105.30 points May 2026
Unemployed Persons 61298.00 67521.00 May 2026
Unemployment Rate 3.40 3.80 percent May 2026
Wage Growth 9.10 8.40 percent Apr 2026
Wages 1552.00 1555.00 EUR/Month Apr 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 1423.00 1438.00 EUR/Month Apr 2026


Croatia Unemployment Rate
In Croatia, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
3.40 3.80 23.60 3.40 1996 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
Croatia Jobless Rate Hits Record Low
Croatia’s registered unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in May 2026 from 3.8% in April, reaching the lowest level since records began in December 1996. The number of unemployed persons declined 9.2% from the previous month to 61.3 thousand, while total employment rose 2.2% to 1.740 million. The labor force also increased 1.8% to 1.801 million. Paid employment in legal entities rose 1.9% to 1.494 million, while employment in crafts, trades, and freelance activities increased 4.1%. In contrast, the number of employed private farmers edged down 0.4%. Compared with May 2025, however, total employment fell 1.1%, paid employment in legal entities declined 1.5%, and the labor force contracted 1.7%, indicating that labor market conditions remained weaker than a year earlier.
2026-07-01
Croatia Jobless Rate Falls to 10-Month Low
Croatia’s registered unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in April 2026 from 4.3% in the previous month, marking the lowest rate since June 2025. The number of unemployed persons dropped 11.1% from a month earlier to a record low of 67.5 thousand, of whom 35.7 thousand were women. Employment rose 0.3% to 1.702 million, while the labor force declined 0.2% to 1.770 million. Meanwhile, paid employment in legal entities declined 0.2%, with the sharpest decreases recorded in mining and quarrying (-0.7%), manufacturing (-0.8%), water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (-1.4%), construction (-1.2%), and professional, scientific and technical activities (-1.4%). In contrast, employment increased in agriculture, forestry, and fishing (0.8%), electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply (0.2%), accommodation and food service activities (4.5%), publishing, broadcasting, and content production and distribution (0.6%), and education (0.2%).
2026-05-22
Croatia Jobless Rate Hits 5-Month Low
Croatia’s registered unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in March 2026 from 4.7% in the previous month, marking the lowest jobless rate since October 2025. The number of unemployed persons dropped 9.6% from a month earlier to 75.9 thousand, of whom 40.3 thousand were women. Employment increased 0.3% to 1.698 million, while the labor force declined 0.2% to 1.774 million. Paid employment in legal entities inched up 0.1%, led by growth in mining and quarrying (0.9%), manufacturing (0.4%), construction (0.7%), financial and insurance activities (0.2%), professional, scientific and technical activities (0.8%), public administration and defence (0.2%), education (0.5%), and human health and social work activities (0.3%). In contrast, job losses were most notable in accommodation and food service activities (-1.3%) and water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities (-0.7%).
2026-04-21