SOFIA, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria enjoyed the second lowest unemployment rate in the Balkans due to improved business climate and staff shortage, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a report on Thursday.

According to the report, the unemployment rate in Bulgaria has decreased to 5.8 percent for the third quarter of 2017, while in Romania the figure stood at 5.2 percent.

The other Balkan neighboring countries experienced significantly higher unemployment rates such as 23.2 percent in Macedonia, 20.7 percent in Greece, 15.6 percent in Serbia and 10.7 percent in Turkey, the report said.

In 2003, Bulgaria recorded an unemployment rate of 13.7 percent, while in 2016 it was 7.6 percent, the report said.

The report attributes the reduction of the unemployment rate in Bulgaria to the improvement of the business climate and the shortage of staff in the country.

Companies in Bulgaria experienced a severe shortage of skilled workers such as IT specialists and mechanical engineers as well as employees in the tourism industry, transport and construction industries, the report added.