Jobless rate 4 pc in Sept, 3.9 pc in Q3

Hungary's jobless rate was 4 percent in September, unchanged from the previous month, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Thursday. The rate covers unemployment among people between the ages of 15 and 74. In absolute terms, there were 195,000 unemployed. The rolling three-month average jobless rate was 3.9 percent in September, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous period. ING Bank analyst Peter Virovacz said the unemployment rate has "basically stagnated" for five months. He noted that the detailed data show the number of economically active Hungarians grew 9,000 in September and 8,000 found jobs immediately, pointing to strong absorption in the local labour market.