In Q2 2026, the unemployment rate in Georgia decreased to 13.8%, which is 0.5 percentage points lower than the figure a year earlier. However, at the same time, the share of the population over 15 years old participating in the labor market decreased by 0.8 percentage points, to 53.3%, and the employment rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points, to 46%. This means that the reduction in unemployment is not only due to employment: some people may have stopped looking for work and are no longer counted as unemployed.
The difference between urban and rural areas is particularly noticeable. In cities, unemployment decreased by 1.7 percentage points, to 14.7%, while employment increased to 46.7%. In rural areas, on the contrary, unemployment increased by 1.3 percentage points, to 12.6%, and employment decreased by 1.4 percentage points, to 45%. Among women, unemployment fell to 11.3%, but at the same time, employment decreased to 37.5%, and labor market participation to 42.2%. Among men, unemployment decreased to 15.7%, while employment increased to 55.9%.
Thus, the 13.8% figure alone does not reflect the full picture. In Q2, 69% of the employed were hired workers, and 31% were self-employed. The main positive signal remains the situation in cities, where the reduction in unemployment is accompanied by an increase in employment. At the same time, the decline in economic activity in rural areas and among women shows that a formal reduction in unemployment does not always mean an improvement in the labor market situation.