At the end of June 2025, Croatia recorded the lowest number of unemployed people since official records have been kept. According to data from the Croatian Employment Service, 70,036 unemployed persons were registered, which is as many as 3,195 fewer than in May and an impressive 14,805 fewer than in June last year. Compared to the same month last year, unemployment decreased by 17.5 percent, and compared to May by 4.4 percent. These data confirm that Croatia has never had a lower number of unemployed people.

Structure of the unemployed: who makes up this statistic?

Among the unemployed, women predominate, numbering 37,455 or 53.5 percent, while there are 32,581 men or 46.5 percent. Compared to June 2024, the number of unemployed men decreased by 12.7 percent, and women by as much as 21.1 percent. The share of men in total unemployment increased slightly, while the share of women decreased by 2.5 percentage points.

By age groups, the highest number of unemployed is in the 55 to 59 age group (9,324 or 13.3 percent), and the lowest among young people aged 15 to 19 (2,755 or 3.9 percent). The largest decrease in unemployment was recorded precisely among older workers, while among the youngest the decline was the smallest.

Educational structure and regional differences

The largest group consists of persons with up to three years of secondary school education and skilled/highly skilled workers (21,017 or 30 percent), followed by those with four or more years of secondary school education and grammar school education (20,187 or 28.8 percent). Persons with completed primary school make up 17.6 percent of the unemployed, while 9.6 percent have higher education. A decline in unemployment is recorded in all educational groups, with the largest among persons with completed primary school.

The highest number of unemployed is recorded in Osijek-Baranja County (10,622), Split-Dalmatia County (9,962), and the City of Zagreb (9,357), while the fewest unemployed are in Lika-Senj County (773). All counties recorded a decline in unemployment, with the most pronounced in Istria County, Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Split-Dalmatia County, and Požega-Slavonia County.

Work experience and labor market trends

Of the total number of unemployed, 14.7 percent of persons have no work experience, while 85.3 percent have already worked. The highest number of unemployed with experience comes from manufacturing, trade, hospitality, construction, and administrative activities. During June, 9,715 persons registered in the unemployment records, which is 15.2 percent fewer than last year, while 12,910 persons left the records. A total of 8,682 persons were employed, most of them on fixed-term contracts.

Cash benefits and demand for workers

Cash benefits are used by 16,447 unemployed persons, which is 23.5 percent of the total number, and the number of beneficiaries increased by 15.2 percent compared to last year. During June, 19,465 job vacancies were reported, most in healthcare, education, manufacturing, construction, and trade.

Active employment measures

In June, 2,998 persons were included in active employment policy measures, mostly through education and training, employment support, and self-employment support. Through the first months of 2025, more than 27 thousand persons have gone through these measures, and currently more than 30 thousand are using them.