Employment in Hungary was among the lowest in the European Union last year, the Central Statistical Office reported in a publication released on Monday.
Employment in the 15-64 age group stood at 55.4 percent in Hungary last year, as against the EU average of 64.8 percent. Only Malta scored lower at 54.9 percent and Hungary was followed by Italy at 57.9 percent and Romania at 59.2 percent.
Some 61.1 percent of men aged 15-64 were in employment in Hungary last year and only half of women were employed.
The number of those in jobs totalled 3.78 million, representing a drop of 98,000 from the year before.
In the 25-54 age group, which is considered “the best working age,” 72.9 percent of Hungarians were employed in 2009, unchanged from the previous year and 5.4 percentage points down from the EU average.