According to data from the Croatian Employment Service, at the end of September 2025 there were 74,559 unemployed persons registered.

That is 936 fewer than in August and as many as 8,280 fewer than in September last year. In other words, unemployment decreased by 10 percent over the course of a year, and by 1.2 percent compared with the previous month.

In the structure of the unemployed, there are still slightly more women, 39,703 of them, while there are 34,856 unemployed men. Compared with last year, the number of unemployed men decreased by 8.8 percent, and women by 11 percent. The share of men in total unemployment increased slightly, while the share of women decreased.

A decline in unemployment was recorded in all age groups. The largest decrease occurred among persons aged 55 to 59, where the number of unemployed is lower by 14.5 percent. The smallest decrease, of 7.2 percent, was recorded in the group between 45 and 49 years of age. The highest number of unemployed is still among persons older than 55, numbering almost 9,300.

When looking at the educational structure, the highest number of unemployed have secondary education lasting up to three years or the occupations of skilled and highly skilled workers, 22,652 of them. There are almost as many among persons who completed a four-year secondary school or grammar school - 22,569. They are followed by those with primary school education (12,389), university and academy education (6,803), college or professional studies (5,408), and persons without completed primary school (4,738). Compared with last year, unemployment decreased in all educational groups, most among persons with primary school education by 14.1 percent.

The highest number of unemployed is still in Split-Dalmatia County with 10,846 persons, almost the same as Osijek-Baranja County with 10,778, while the City of Zagreb has 10,109 unemployed persons. The fewest are in Lika-Senj County, only 823. A decline in unemployment was recorded in all counties, and the largest decline was recorded in Istria County by as much as 24.7 percent.

Of the total number of unemployed, 13,030 persons have never worked, while 61,529 have previous work experience. The highest number of former employees come from manufacturing, trade, hospitality, construction, and transport and storage. In industry, the highest number of unemployed are from the food production sector, the metal and wood industries, and clothing production.

During September 2025, 15,215 persons registered in the unemployment records, which is 10.7 percent more than in the same month last year. Of these, more than three quarters already had work experience, most often in hospitality, manufacturing, trade, education, and construction.

At the same time, 16,151 persons left the records, which is 14.5 percent less than last year. A total of 12,155 persons found employment, of whom 11,270 on the basis of an employment relationship. Most found fixed-term employment, most often in education, manufacturing, trade, construction, and hospitality.

In September, 19,995 persons received unemployment benefit, or 26.8 percent of all unemployed. Compared with the same month last year, the number of beneficiaries decreased by 3.1 percent.

During September, employers reported 23,219 job vacancies, which is 1.6 percent more than a year earlier. The highest demand comes from education, healthcare, industry, trade, and construction.

During September, 4,514 new persons were included in active employment policy measures, mostly in education and training programs, employment support, and self-employment support. At the end of the month there were a total of 26,737 active beneficiaries of the measures, of whom slightly more than 60 percent were from the current year.