Unemployment is at a record low. This was stated in the program "Intervjuto" by the chairman of the NSI, Assoc. Prof. Atanas Atanasov.
"Unemployment is currently at an extremely low level. We announced unemployment data a few days ago. As you can see, 3.4% unemployment is extremely low. We may never have unemployment below 3% in Bulgaria. So this is record low unemployment."
Atanasov explained that the National Statistical Institute is preparing to calculate the so-called flash inflation.
"This means that inflation will be announced twice. Once, on the last day of the month and then, as before, on the 15th, after the month that follows. For example, on January 30 of next year, we will know a preliminary estimate of inflation for January. Even though the month will not have expired. That is, we will have preliminary information on how much inflation would possibly be. And again on February 15, we will know the final inflation for January. The goal is to know earlier what it will be and what inflation is expected to be."
The Chairman of the NSI pointed out that the prices of some goods continue to increase on the eve of the country's entry into the eurozone.
"Certainly prices are increasing and they are increasing at different rates. Let's say, food prices, you know, have been growing a little faster than average inflation over the last year. However, there are other goods, such as clothing, for which the prices have hardly changed or the increase is very small. Inflation has slightly increased in recent months, while at the beginning of the year inflation was relatively comparable to that in the eurozone. You know, our inflation was 1.5%, only higher than the average for the three lowest countries. This was one of the criteria for being friends in the eurozone."
Atanasov emphasized that there is no way for the NSI to manipulate statistics.
"First of all, the numbers cannot be manipulated in any way. Since every number that we publish is subject to verification, at least first by Eurostat. After Eurostat approves the numbers, then they are published. And in addition, we are under the control of many other international organizations. For example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, of which we are trying to become a member, also checks our data. We are already a member of the OECD Statistics Committee."