Previously, the figures had hovered around a ‘comfortable’ 2.9–4 per cent, but they did not reflect the true state of the labour market. The new EU methodology has brought hidden problems to light. In particular, the scope of potential workers has been expanded to include the population aged 15–74 who are seeking employment, including seasonal workers.
One of the reasons for the sharp ‘rise’ in the figures was the exclusion of ‘fictitious workers’. Previously, people who produced agricultural produce exclusively for their own consumption (for example, growing vegetables in their own garden for their own use) were considered ‘employed’. Under EU rules, they have been reclassified as unemployed or part of the economically inactive population.
Official statistics have also begun to take the informal sector into account. The country traditionally has a high level of ‘grey’ employment. The new surveys more accurately identify people who do not have a formal contract but are actively seeking stable work.
There has also been alignment with the requirements of the ILO and Eurostat. The new questionnaires apply stricter filtering criteria: ‘ready to start work within two weeks’ and ‘actively sought work in the last four weeks’.
The labour market situation by mid-2026
The figures have already begun to stabilise. According to a recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate fell to 7.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2026 (after peaking at 10.4 per cent in the first quarter).
Here is what the structure of unemployment looks like according to the new European standards:
- Gender imbalance: men are more likely to be unemployed (11.9 per cent compared with 8.8 per cent for women at the peak).
- Geographical disparity: the situation in rural areas is significantly worse than in towns and cities. The rural unemployment rate reached 13.4 per cent, whilst in towns and cities it stood at 7.6 per cent.
- Market paradox: despite the high number of unemployed (around 93,600 people), the country is experiencing a severe labour shortage — employers are short of seamstresses, drivers and IT specialists.
At the end of the second quarter of 2026, the labour force (the economically active population aged 15–89) stood at 926,900 people. Of these, 859,300 were classified as employed.
The employment rate relative to Moldova’s total population rose to 45.0 per cent (compared with 42.6 per cent in the first quarter).
At the same time, in 2026, the authorities took active steps to bring the economy out of the shadow economy: by early September alone, the State Labour Inspectorate had identified more than 10,000 people working informally and regularised the employment status of the majority of them, which also affects the accuracy of the statistics.
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