The number of unemployed people registered at the local offices of the National Employment Agency so far this year has decreased. Contacted by IPN, the head of the Agency’s Planning, Assessment and Synthesis Division Ludmila Dumbrava said that among the reasons are the tougher conditions for registering the unemployed and the increase in the number of job vacancies.

“If the person refuses a job repeatedly, he/she is struck off the register. The condition is for the person to accept to be placed,” said Ludmila Dumbrava.

The latest statistics available show that the number of vacancies is on the rise. In June alone, there were announced over 7,000 vacant jobs, by about 700 more compared with last June. More than 19,000 job vacancies have been announced this year so far.

“In 2013, we registered about 21,000 unemployed persons. Most of them are from Ungheni and Orhei. We can now speak about a balance between the number of job vacancies and the number of registered people out of work,” said Ludmila Dumbrava. She added that the unemployed persons are also engaged in community service and are paid by the local public authorities and the National Employment Agency.

The year 2012 also saw a decline in the official unemployment figures. In 2009–2010, the annual average number of unemployed people registered was 80,000, while in 2012 the figure dropped to slightly over 51,000.