📊 Research Report · April 2026
State of Hiring & Recruitment
Georgia (Europe) 2026
Comprehensive Labor Market Intelligence · South Caucasus Region · 100+ Quantitative Data Points
13.3%
Unemployment Rate Q4 2025
54.4%
Labor Force Participation 2025
GEL 2,271
Avg Monthly Wage Q3 2025
7.5%
GDP Growth 2025
3.7M
Total Population
01 UNEMPLOYMENT & EMPLOYMENT OVERVIEW
13.9%Annual unemployment rate in 2024 — a 2.5pp drop from 2023, lowest in over two decades. (Source: Geostat)
13.3%Q4 2025 unemployment — historic low since Q4 2003, down 0.9pp year-on-year. (Trading Economics)
16.7% → 15.6%Male unemployment: Q4 2024 to Q4 2025 — remains higher than the female rate. (Geostat)
11.1% → 10.3%Female unemployment Q4 2024 to Q4 2025 — women posting faster labor market gains. (Geostat)
47.1%Overall employment rate in 2024 — up 2.6pp compared to the prior year. (Geostat)
1,402,100Total employed persons in Georgia as of Q4 2025. (Trading Economics)
978,500Salaried/hired employees in Q4 2024 — up 2.1% year-on-year. (GBC.ge)
433,500Self-employed persons in Q4 2024 — up 4.8% year-on-year. (GBC.ge)
20.6% → 13.3%Unemployment journey 2021–2025: a 7.3pp reduction in just four years. (World Bank)
32.1%Labor underutilization rate — includes underemployment and discouraged workers. (FREE Network)
02 WAGES & COMPENSATION
GEL 2,271.6Average monthly nominal wage in Q3 2025 — up 10.4% year-on-year. (Geostat via Sakartvelosambebi)
GEL 2,218Average monthly salary for full-year 2024. (Geostat)
GEL 4,212.9IT/Communications sector avg wage Q3 2025 — highest paying sector. (Geostat)
GEL 3,682.9Construction sector avg wage Q3 2025 — surged 15.2% year-on-year. (Geostat)
GEL 3,526.0Financial & Insurance avg wage Q3 2025 — up 10.7% year-on-year. (Geostat)
GEL 3,154.3Mining & Quarrying sector avg wage Q3 2025 — highest growth rate at +30.6%. (Geostat)
+11.5%Real wages growth in 2025, supporting strong household consumption. (World Bank)
GEL 2,738 / 1,797Avg monthly salary for men vs women in Q3 2025 — a 34.4% gender pay gap. (Geostat)
GEL 2,583Tbilisi average monthly salary — highest regional figure in the country. (Geostat)
GEL 1,060–1,304Lowest regional salaries: Racha-Lechkhumi & Guria regions. (wagecentre.com)
6%Typical annual salary increment in Georgia's IT sector. (Skuad)
GEL 20/moNominal private sector minimum wage — legally set but non-binding since 1999. (wage.is)
03 LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION & WORKFORCE STRUCTURE
54.8%Labor force participation rate (LFPR) in 2024 — up 1.5pp year-on-year. (Geostat/GBC.ge)
54.4%LFPR in Q4 2025 — slight softening vs Q3 2025's 54.5%. (Trading Economics)
66.3%Male LFPR in Q4 2024 — significantly higher than female LFPR of 45.1%. (GBC.ge)
68.5%Share of hired employees among all employed persons in 2024. (Geostat)
~40%Share of total employment in agriculture/forestry sector (ILO modelled 2023 estimate).
48.5%Employment rate in urban settlements 2024 — vs 45.3% in rural areas. (Geostat)
~115,000Russian/Ukrainian migrants relocated to Georgia between 2022–2023. (FREE Network)
42,000+Foreign nationals officially registered to work in Georgia by 2025. (PB Services)
~200,000Estimated undocumented migrant workers without formal registration. (justadvisors.ge)
2,700+Foreigners enrolled in "Remotely from Georgia" digital nomad program. (Skuad)
04 ECONOMIC CONTEXT & MACRO DRIVERS
9.4%Real GDP growth in 2024 — one of the highest in the Europe/Caucasus region. (Geostat/ADB)
7.5%Real GDP growth in 2025 — strong despite global headwinds. (FocusEconomics, ADB)
5.0%GDP growth forecast for 2026 — moderate but healthy slowdown. (World Bank, ADB)
USD 33.8BNominal GDP in 2024. (FocusEconomics)
USD 8,250GDP per capita in 2024 — below global average of USD 10,589. (FocusEconomics)
USD 6,535GNI per capita constant 2015 USD (2024) — doubled from USD 3,036 in 2010. (World Bank)
3.6%Net FDI inflows as % of GDP in 2025, with 83.6% reinvestment share. (ADB)
4.6%Annual inflation rate February 2026 — driven mainly by food prices. (World Bank)
+37.1%ICT sector output growth in Q2 2025 — fastest growing segment of the economy. (Oman Agencies)
+10.2%Overall services exports growth in 2025 — aided by transit trade and IT. (ADB)
34%Public debt as % of GDP at end-2025 — declining and within fiscal targets. (World Bank)
8%National Bank of Georgia policy rate — held since May 2024. (World Bank)
05 TECH SECTOR & IT HIRING
GEL 4,255IT/Communications avg monthly wage in Q1 2025 — up 4.6% year-on-year. (Georgia Today)
GEL 4,243IT sector avg wage in business sector Q2 2025 — up 4.3%. (1TV.ge)
70%Share of Georgian IT job openings concentrated in Tbilisi. (agency-partners.com)
95%Share of tech vacancies that are full-time positions. (agency-partners.com)
49%Mid-Senior level roles as share of Tbilisi software engineering vacancies.
35 daysMedian time-to-hire for a Software Engineer in Tbilisi. (agency-partners.com)
134Peak weekly new software engineering job postings recorded in Georgia. (agency-partners.com)
68%.NET engineering vacancies requiring Mid-Senior level candidates in Tbilisi.
#34Georgia's VisaGuide.World Digital Nomad Index ranking as of January 2025.
USD 25K/yrMinimum IT earnings for the new IT Residency Permit (3-year). (Eurofast)
95 countriesVisa-free countries whose citizens can stay in Georgia for up to 1 year.
USD 12/hrAverage hourly wage — highly competitive vs Western/European markets. (Skuad)
06 LABOR LAW REFORM & RECRUITMENT COMPLIANCE 2026
Mar 1, 2026Effective date for mandatory Special Labour Activity Permit for foreign workers. (Fragomen)
GEL 500Maximum government fee for work permit application (≈ USD 185). (PB Services Georgia)
30 daysStandard processing time for work permit by State Employment Support Agency. (Fragomen)
Jan 1, 2027Transition deadline for foreign workers already active in Georgia to comply. (IBCCS.ge)
GEL 2,000Fine per employer per foreign worker hired without valid work permit. (US Embassy Georgia)
10 daysMandatory job posting on govt portal before applying for foreign hire permit. (Andersen Georgia)
3 yearsIT sector work permit duration; non-IT workers initially receive up to 1 year. (Andersen)
USD 150KNew minimum real estate investment for residency permit — raised from USD 100K. (PB Services)
3,800Foreign workers registered under old system in 8 years (2015–2023). (justadvisors.ge)
5 daysEmployer deadline to notify Ministry when a foreign worker's contract ends/changes.
Apr 15, 2026Law No. 1509 enacted — adding new exemptions to work permit requirements. (NOMOS Georgia)
GEL 1,000–2,000Fine for failure to notify Ministry of contract changes or termination.
07 POVERTY REDUCTION & SOCIAL INDICATORS
9.4%Absolute poverty rate in 2024 — down 2.4pp, lowest on national record. (Geostat/GBC.ge)
1.8%Extreme poverty rate in 2024 — fallen 2.5× in just two years. (World Bank/imedinews)
42.2%Poverty at USD 8.30/day (2021 PPP) — estimated for 2025. (World Bank)
7.8%Urban absolute poverty rate 2024 vs 11.9% in rural areas. (Geostat)
12.1%Poverty rate among children under 18 years in 2024 — down 4.0pp. (Geostat)
6.7%Poverty rate among those aged 65+ — lowest across all age groups. (Geostat)
77% → 42.2%15-year poverty reduction at $8.30 line: 2010 to 2025. (World Bank)
+8.2%Domestic private consumption growth in 2025 — driven by rising wages. (World Bank)
08 HIRING COSTS & EMPLOYER COMPETITIVENESS
USD 291/moCost of living (single person, excl. rent) nationally. (Brain Source International)
USD 305/moCost of living in Tbilisi excl. rent — key benchmark for compensation planning.
USD 195/moCost of living outside city centers — extremely affordable. (Skuad)
20%Flat personal income tax rate — one of the lowest and simplest in the region. (wage.is)
6 taxesTotal number of taxes businesses face — among the fewest globally. (Wikipedia/economy)
#21Georgia's global Labor Freedom Index ranking — highly flexible labor market. (Skuad)
40 hrs/wkStandard working week since 2024 Labour Code reform (reduced from 48 hrs). (wage.is)
25%Minimum overtime premium required by Georgian Labor Code. (wage.is)
1 monthMandatory minimum severance pay for redundant workers. (Wikipedia)
USD 2,000/moMin income for "Remotely from Georgia" digital nomad program. (Citizen Remote)
USD 24,000Alternative: savings requirement for digital nomad program eligibility. (onwardticket)
2%–8%Range of annual salary increments across industries in Georgia. (Skuad)