Knowledge Hub

Year	Unemployment Rate (%)	Youth (15–24)	Note
2000	10.3	—	Post-Soviet recovery
2005	13.8	—	Rose Revolution aftermath
2007	13.3	28.4	Pre-crisis
2008	16.3	32.1	Russia-Georgia war + financial crisis
2009	16.9	39.9	Crisis peak
2010	21.3	38.6	Statistical revision (new LFS)
2012	15.0	35.5	Election year
2014	12.4	30.9	DCFTA signed
2016	11.8	29.4	Gradual improvement
2018	12.7	26.1
2019	11.6	24.2	Pre-COVID low
2020	18.5	33.7	COVID-19 shock
2021	20.6	35.4	COVID peak
2022	17.3	26.1	Recovery — Russian influx
2023	16.4	22.4
2024	13.3	17.5	Historic low for youth

Year	Average Wage (GEL)	Average Wage (USD equiv.)
2010	621	~$355
2012	750	~$445
2014	879	~$495
2016	956	~$410
2018	1,072	~$405
2019	1,136	~$400
2020	1,184	~$380
2021	1,320	~$420
2022	1,576	~$590
2023	1,822	~$680
2024	~2,100	~$785
Q1 2026	2,364	~$880

Indicator	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Employment rate (15–64)	55.5%	48.0%	45.4%	49.2%	51.4%	47.1%
LFPR	62.7%	57.0%	54.7%	57.9%	61.4%	54.7%
Self-employment rate	~45%	~44%	~43%	~41%	~39%	~38%

GILS Analysis

Georgia's Labour Statistics: Sources, Quality, and Access

Georgia's labour statistics are produced by three primary institutions: Geostat (National Statistics Office) — the main source for household survey data (LFS, HBS, population statistics); the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) — balance of payments, remittances, financial statistics; and MLHSA administrative data — ESDC registrations, work permits, TSA beneficiaries, LIS inspections.

The quality of Georgian labour statistics has improved substantially since the 2018 LFS redesign, which brought the survey into full ILO ICLS-19 compliance. The LFS is now quarterly, nationally representative, and uses internationally comparable definitions. The key remaining weaknesses are: publication timeliness (3-6 month lag for microdata); absence of an employer wage survey; lack of longitudinal panel data; and poor administrative data publication by MLHSA.

Geostat LFS: strong foundation. Quarterly LFS, ILO-compliant, publicly accessible at geostat.ge. Microdata available for researchers. Regional breakdowns published annually. Population census (2024) will improve denominators. Gender-disaggregated data published for all key indicators. This is a solid statistical base by regional standards.

Administrative data: weak and inaccessible. MLHSA holds rich administrative data — ESDC registrations, work permits, TSA caseloads, LIS inspection records — but publishes only aggregate summaries in annual reports, months after year-end. No machine-readable open data. No real-time indicator publication. This gap makes real-time labour market monitoring impossible.

International Perspectives

What Other Institutions Say

ILO Statistics / ILOSTAT

Georgia's LFS data is published on ILOSTAT with a 6-9 month lag after the Geostat publication. ILOSTAT Georgia profile includes: employment by sector, unemployment rates, labour underutilisation, wages, and hours worked — all ILO-standard indicators. Data quality flag: wage estimates from household survey are less accurate than from employer survey — ILO recommends Georgia develop a Quarterly Employment and Wages Survey. (ILOSTAT Georgia Profile 2023)

Geostat — National Statistics Office

Geostat's LFS is conducted quarterly, with a sample of approximately 8,400 households. Results published within 90 days of quarter end. Microdata available at geostat.ge/microdata for registered researchers. The 2024 Population Census will significantly improve LFS weighting and regional estimates. Geostat's main constraint: budget limits additional surveys. (Geostat LFS Technical Documentation 2023)

World Bank Open Data

Georgia ranks 68th on the World Bank's Statistical Performance Index (2022) — above regional average but significantly below EU member states. Key gaps: business statistics; administrative data publication; timeliness. World Bank's Open Data Readiness Assessment (2022) recommended: MLHSA open data portal; Geostat API for real-time data; data sharing agreement between Geostat and tax authority. (WB Statistical Performance Index 2022)

EU/EUROSTAT Partnership

Under the DCFTA statistical annex, Georgia is aligning with EU statistical standards. Current Eurostat-Geostat partnership (2022-2026) covers: national accounts, agricultural statistics, demographic statistics, and LFS methodology. Business statistics (including employer wage survey) and regional statistics are next-phase priorities. (Eurostat-Geostat Partnership Annual Report 2023)

GILS Position Statement

Data quality determines policy quality. Georgia has made genuine progress on household-based labour statistics but has a significant gap on the administrative and employer-based data that would enable real-time labour market monitoring. GILS is committed to using the best available data — and being transparent about its limitations. Three investments would transform Georgian labour statistics: an employer wage survey (replacing household-estimated wages); MLHSA open data publication; and a longitudinal LFS panel module.

— GILS Data Quality Statement, September 2026

GILS Policy Recommendations

Five Priority Actions

Recommendation 01

Employer Wage Survey — Geostat priority investment

Household survey wage data is inherently less accurate than employer payroll data. Establish a Quarterly Employment and Wages Survey (QEWS): sample 3,000 employers; collect payroll, hours, and occupational structure by gender. ILO technical assistance available. First publication Q1 2026. Cost: GEL 1.2M annually. Transforms wage policy evidence base.

ILO QEWS guidelines · Estonia (employer earnings survey) · Eurostat SES methodology

Recommendation 02

MLHSA open data portal — mlhsa.opendata.ge

MLHSA holds data on: 85,000 ESDC annual participants; 45,000 foreign work permits; 156,000 TSA households; 4,800 LIS inspections. None is available as machine-readable open data. Create mlhsa.opendata.ge: monthly aggregate tables; annual microdata (privacy-protected). Cost: GEL 300K. Enables independent research and policy accountability.

Georgia gov.ge open data (extend) · Estonia EMTA open data · ILO administrative data standards

Recommendation 03

Longitudinal LFS panel module — 2-year tracking

Current LFS cross-sectional design cannot track individuals over time — so we cannot measure ALMP effectiveness, NEET transitions, or wage mobility. Add 2-year longitudinal panel: 25% of LFS sample followed for 8 consecutive quarters. EU Statistics for Policy project (2023-2026) has funding allocation for this. Geostat should prioritise it in 2025 work plan.

EU LFS longitudinal module · ILO longitudinal survey guidelines · Geostat capacity building

Recommendation 04

Real-time labour market indicators — GILS dashboard

GILS Observatory to publish a monthly 'Labour Market Flash': 6 key indicators (claimant count, worknet.ge vacancies posted, ESDC new registrations, work permits issued, TSA new applications, LIS complaints received) from MLHSA and Geostat administrative data. Updated monthly within 30 days of reference month. Requires MLHSA data sharing agreement.

UK (Labour Market Statistics Flash) · Estonia (Statistics Estonia monthly release) · ILO high-frequency indicators

Recommendation 05

Data literacy training — MLHSA and Parliament staff

Good statistics are useless if policymakers cannot interpret them. GILS to deliver annual data literacy workshop: 2 days; 30 participants (MLHSA analysts, Parliamentary committee staff, ESDC managers); content: LFS interpretation, understanding confidence intervals, using ILOSTAT, policy indicators. Cost: GEL 8K/year. Builds long-run demand for good data.

ILO training in labour statistics · World Bank data literacy programme · GILS/PHIG training capacity

ILO Standards — Georgia

Compliance Status

Convention / Standard	Subject	Ratified	Compliance	Key Gap
C160	Labour Statistics	1993	Partial	LFS good; no employer wage survey; MLHSA data not published
ICLS-19	Statistical standards	2018	Good	Geostat LFS fully ICLS-19 compliant since 2018 redesign
Eurostat ESS	EU statistical standards	In progress	Partial	DCFTA alignment ongoing; business statistics next priority