ZAGREB, (Hina) – Croatia had 1.52 million employees in legal entities at the end of October, up 0.6% from September but 0.1% lower than a year earlier, with retail remaining the largest employer, data from the national statistics office show.

Retail and wholesale trade, including vehicle and motorcycle repair, employed 230,108 people at the end of October. The sector overtook manufacturing for the first time in August and retained the top position through September and October. Employment in the sector rose 0.3% on the month and 0.4% year-on-year.

Croatia had a total of 1,754,861 employed persons in October, down 0.1% from September but 0.2% higher than in October 2024.

In the January – October period, employment in legal entities was 0.7% higher than in the same period a year earlier.

Of the 19 activity sectors covered by the statistics office, 11 posted annual employment increases at the end of October. The strongest growth was in education, where employment rose 3.1% to 132,558. Health and social care followed with a 3% increase to 114,690, while mining and quarrying climbed 2.8% to 3,832.

Eight sectors recorded declines, led by agriculture, forestry and fishing, down 4.7% to 25,558 employees. Manufacturing followed with a 3.4% drop to 227,603.

On a monthly basis, education also posted the largest gain, up 4.4%. The steepest decline was in tourism and hospitality, where employment fell 2.8% to 113,450.

According to data from the Croatian Employment Service, the number of registered unemployed rose 4.4% from September to 77,825 at the end of October. Year-on-year, unemployment fell 9.8%. The registered unemployment rate stood at 4.2% in October, compared with 4.1% in September.