The unemployment rate for September in the three northwestern districts of Montana, Vidin and Vratsa remains unchanged from the previous month at 18.12%, according to data provided by the Regional Employment Service.

The jobless rate in the three districts is three times higher than the national average of 9.45%, the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA) announced.

The three cities, Montana, Vidin and Vratsa, have unemployment rates around or below the national average, while the percentage in the remaining areas is substantially higher, with the Yakimovo municipality recording an alarming 54.6%.

According to reports from the Regional Employment Service, 19 unemployed compete for one job in Montana, while in Vidin and Vratsa the candidates for one vacancy are 18 and 17, respectively.

Data recently released by Eurostat showed unemployment in Bulgaria to have risen from 10.2% in August 2010 to 11.7% in the same month of 2011.

The figures of EU's statistics office did not match the estimates of Bulgaria's National Statistical Institute (NSI).

In the third quarter of 2011, a total of 369 800 Bulgarians were out of work and the country registered a unemployment coefficient of 11.2%, according to NSI data by September 30.

Compared to Q3 2010, the number of unemployed increased by 27 600 and the unemployment coefficient added 1.2 percentage points.

Bulgarian Labor Minister Totyu Mladenov has said that the current level of unemployment in the country is 9.5%