It was nearly 10 years ago that the percentage of unemployed receiving aid in Hargita/Harghita County was as high as it is today, according to current data. Although the rate of unemployment has not grown by a lot, the number of newly unemployed indicates an acute problem in the labor field.
Of those registered as unemployed, almost half are receiving aid, which means that all of them are people that have recently lost their jobs, according to the data summarized at the end of December by the Labor Placement and Professional Training Agency of Hargita/Harghita County.
There are presently 6,162 registered unemployed in the county, out of which 2,926 are receiving unemployment aid — a ratio of 47.4 percent. According to the data communicated by the representative of the agency, department head Edit Jánó, this is similar to the data from 2013. This means that many entering the system are newly unemployed.
Women are more affected
It is also interesting to note that women have been more affected by unemployment than men. Compared to the same period last year, the unemployment rate for men is the same, while it is 1.5 percent higher for women. This is due to the mass dismissal of people in the textile industry, where factory workers are mainly women. Of the 6,162 people unemployed in Hargita/Harghita County, 3,189 are women.
There are also many unpaid unemployed because they did not request an extension of their status. Many companies, however, have asked for salary aid. In December, 177 employers requested salary aid for a total of 943 employees, totaling RON 1.24 million (EUR 254,000). The majority of the businesses requesting aid are from the tourism and hospitality field.
Featured photo: ma7.sk
