The conditional level of unemployment at the end of May exceeds 10-11 per cent of the labour forces, the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) said on Friday.

BIA argues that when the actual level of unemployment is assessed, in addition to the registered jobless, account should be taken of the so-called discouraged persons - persons who have had not a job for over 15 years who do not look for work thinking they will not find any. The National Statistical Institute puts the number of discouraged persons in the first quarter of 2009 at 160,000 people. This, according to BIA means that the level of unemployment should be increased by no less than 4 per cent.

BIA recalled that at the end of April the Employment Agency reported that the registered unemployed stood at 7.04 per cent. In the conditional level of unemployment BIA has also included data about May from the Employment Agency according to which 1,709 people have been laid off.

BIA said that in November 2008 its experts had forecast two-digit unemployment at the end of 2009 and also proposed measures intended to stabilize the labour market to the Labour and Social Policy Ministry, in regard to which however, there has been no reaction.

Source: BTA