In December 2014, there were 1,303,000 employed Croatians, fewer by 13,287 or by 1% than in November, the Central Bureau of Statistics (DZS) data show.
Four analysts polled by Hina forecast a further decrease by 6,000 in January, which means that for the first time, the number of Croatian workers could slide below 1.3 million since the late 2000.
Relatedly, six years of the recession led to the loss of 200,000 jobs. In December 2008, just before the outbreak of the economic crisis, nearly 1.52 million Croats were employed.
The dire situation on the labour market does not produce only bad economic consequences but can have unfavourable social repercussions, according to Raiffeisenbak Austria (RBA) analyst Zrinka Zivkovic Matijevic.
These trends impact the pension system and public finances in the long run, Zivkovic Matijevic said.
She warns that a level of employment has kept falling, albeit at a slower pace recently.
The statistical data reveal that only in 2014, Croatia shed some 10,000 jobs.
However, in parallel to shrinking employment, also jobless rates have been falling for ten months in a row.
The number of Croatians out of work registered by the national Employment Service (HZZ) was 329,230 at the end of January 2015, which was higher by 3.9% (12,467 people) than in December 2014, but fewer by 49,059 people or by 13% compared to January 2014.
Jobless figures are decreasing not only because of employment but also because of administrative reasons such as departure of job-seekers from their place of residence, death, or some job-seekers have changed their status as they have become parents or foster parents or have qualified for pensions or are undergoing vocational training.
In addition, over 31,000 job-seekers were erased from the HZZ register at their own request in 2014.
However, as many as 74,746 were removed from the register as they were found in breach of regulations, such as undeclared work.
According to HZZ statistics, 3,771 Croatian job-seekers who used to be on the HZZ list, found jobs abroad last year.
RBA analysts say that 4,010 Croatians moved abroad in 2014 after they found jobs there, which was by 60% more than in 2013.
This is also a record high number of Croatians who left the country for employment abroad since 2004 when the HZZ started keeping statistics on this matter.