Economy in 2009: unemployment to align with EU figures

Unlike the analysts interviewed by the aforementioned publication, who point to an average annual rate of 6 percent, the forecast made by the National Commission for Economic Projection (CNP), carried at mid-October, referred to a level of unemployment in 2009 worth 3.9 percent, below the average value of 4 percent this year.

The most pessimistic forecast on the evolution of the unemployment belongs to Matei Paun, managing partner at BAC Investment Bank. He said unemployment would go up to 8-10 percent in 2009.

Lucian Anghel and Ionut Dumitru, chief-economist at the Romanian Commercial Bank (BCR) and respectively Raiffesien Bank Romania, predict the lowest values of the unemployment rate. Both deem that the unemployment rate will be of 5 percent next year.

According to Adrian Izvoranu, general manager within the Employers' Confederation of Industry, Services and Trade (CPISC) in the first months of next year unemployment will go up, however, starting May the number of unemployed will decrease.

The main cause of the rise in the number of the unemployed is the in international financial crisis, reads the same source.