- by croatiaweek
- July 10, 2026
-
in
News
Trg Petra Preradovica, Zagreb (Photo credit: Marija Gasparovic/Zagreb Tourist Board)
ZAGREB, 10 July 2026 – Registered unemployment in Croatia continued to decline in June, with the number of people out of work falling by more than 15% compared with the same month last year, according to the latest figures released today by the Croatian Employment Service (HZZ).
At the end of June 2026, there were 59,423 registered unemployed people in Croatia. That represents a decrease of 3.1% compared with May and a 15.2% drop compared with June 2025, when there were 10,613 more people registered as unemployed.
This is also the lowest since official records began.
During June, 9,632 people newly registered as unemployed, a slight decrease of 0.9% from the same month last year. Most of those entering the unemployment register had previously been employed, while smaller numbers came directly from education or from inactivity.
At the same time, 11,507 people left the unemployment register. Of these, 7,339 found employment, while the remainder left for other reasons, including retirement, further education or administrative removal from the register.
The highest number of newly employed people found work in the accommodation and food services sector, reflecting seasonal demand during the tourism period. Wholesale and retail trade, along with manufacturing, were the next largest employers during the month.
Women accounted for 53.2% of all registered unemployed people, while men made up 46.8%. The largest share of unemployed people were aged between 30 and 54, representing 53.9% of the total.
People with secondary school qualifications continued to make up the largest group among the unemployed, accounting for 59.4% of all registered jobseekers. Meanwhile, 67.3% of unemployed people had been out of work for less than one year, while long-term unemployment fell by 27.7% compared with June 2025.
Regionally, the highest numbers of registered unemployed were recorded in Split-Dalmatia County, followed by the City of Zagreb and Osijek-Baranja County.
The Croatian Employment Service also reported that employers advertised 9,468 vacancies during June, seeking 18,218 workers. However, the number of workers sought was 6.4% lower than in the same month last year.
The report also showed continued investment in active labour market measures. Between January and June, 28,082 people joined employment support programmes, with education and training accounting for just over 70% of all new participants.
