Unemployment falls in Georgia, but labour market challenges remain
According to statistics for the first quarter of 2026, unemployment in Georgia has fallen slightly, but the overall picture of the labour market remains challenging..
According to the National Statistics Office, the official unemployment rate in the country is slightly lower than a year ago. At the same time, however, both the number of employed people and the number of those actively seeking work or participating in the labour market have declined.
In the first quarter of 2026, Georgia’s unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points compared with the same period last year, reaching 14.4%. The labour force participation rate declined by 1.4 percentage points year-on-year to 53.4%, while the employment rate dropped by 1 percentage point to 45.7%.
This means that, despite the statistical improvement, the number of people employed in the economy has not increased. On the contrary, many citizens have left the labour market altogether, often because of discouragement, low wages or difficulties finding work.
The data show that unemployment remains particularly high among men. However, the situation for women worsened over the past year. Unemployment among women increased, while among men it declined slightly. During the same period, employment rates fell in both groups.
A sharp gap in economic activity between women and men also persists. Men participate in the labour market far more often than women. This trend has remained unchanged in Georgia for many years and is often linked to both low wages and the unequal distribution of family responsibilities.
In the first quarter of 2026, the labour force participation rate stood at 43.4% among women and 64.9% among men. Compared with the same period last year, the rate declined by 1.1 percentage points for women and by 1.6 percentage points for men.
The picture differs between urban and rural areas. In cities, the labour market has weakened, with both employment and the number of people seeking work declining. In rural areas, meanwhile, indicators have remained largely unchanged, with even a slight increase recorded.
The labour force participation rate in urban areas fell by 2.4 percentage points, while in rural areas it increased by 0.1 percentage points. The employment rate in urban areas declined by 1.9 percentage points, while in rural areas it rose by 0.1 percentage points, reaching 45.9% and 45.4% respectively.
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