Croatia Jobless Rate Hits 6-Month High

Croatia’s registered unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in December 2025 from 4.5% in the previous month, marking the highest level since April. The number of unemployed persons increased by 1.9% month-on-month to a nine-month high of 82.6 thousand. Meanwhile, total employment declined by 1.0% to 1.72 million, while the labor force edged down by 0.9% to 1.80 million. Paid employment in legal entities fell by 1.0%, driven by declines in accommodation and food service activities (-4.0%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (-1.3%), construction (-1.3%), and manufacturing (-1.2%). In contrast, employment rose modestly in information and communication (0.1%) and human health and social work activities (0.2%). For comparison, the unemployment rate stood higher at 5.0% in December 2024.

Croatia’s unemployment rate rose to 4.5% in November 2025 from 4.2% in the previous month. This marked the highest level since April, as the number of unemployed persons increased by 4.2% month-on-month to 81.1 thousand. Meanwhile, employment fell by 1.1% to 1.7 million, while the labor force decreased by 0.9% to 1.8 million. Among paid employment within legal entities, the largest gains were recorded in mining and quarrying (3.7%), wholesale and retail trade (0.2%), real estate activities (1.9%), and education (2.8%), while it declined in agriculture, forestry, and fishing (-4.5%), manufacturing (-4.1%), and professional, scientific, and technical activities (-1.4%). For comparison, the jobless rate for November of the previous year was higher at 5%.

Croatia’s unemployment rate edged up to 4.2% in October 2025, from 4.1% in the previous month. It marked the highest level since April, as the number of unemployed persons increased by 4.8% month-on-month to 77.8 thousand. Meanwhile, employment declined by 0.1% to 1.8 million, while the labor force ticked higher by 0.1% to 1.8 million. Among paid employment within legal entities, the largest gains were recorded in wholesale and retail trade (0.4%), education (3.1%), and public administration and defense (0.8%), while it declined in manufacturing (-3.4%). For comparison, the jobless rate for October of the previous year was higher at 4.7%.