Euro area unemployment rate at 10.8%

The FINANCIAL — The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.8% in September 2015, down from 10.9% in August 2015, and from 11.5% in September 2014.

This is the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since January 2012. The EU28 unemployment rate was 9.3% in September 2015, down from 9.4% in August 2015, and from 10.1% in September 2014. This is the lowest rate recorded in the EU28 since September 2009. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 22.631 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 17.323 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in September 2015. Compared with August 2015, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 147 000 in the EU28 and by 131 000 in the euro area. Compared with September 2014, unemployment fell by 1.832 million in the EU28 and by 1.194 million in the euro area.

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Member States

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in September 2015 were recorded in Germany (4.5%), the Czech Republic (4.8%), Malta (5.1%) and the United Kingdom (5.3% in July 2015), and the highest in Greece (25.0% in July 2015) and Spain (21.6%).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate in September 2015 fell in twenty-three Member States, increased in four and remained stable in Austria. The largest decreases were registered in Spain (from 24.0% to 21.6%), Estonia (from 8.0% to 5.7% between August 2014 and August 2015), Bulgaria (11.3% to 9.4%) and Slovakia (12.9% to 11.0%). The increases were registered in Finland (8.9% to 9.5%), France (10.4% to 10.7%), Romania (6.7% to 6.8%) and Belgium (8.6% to 8.7%).

In September 2015, the unemployment rate in the United States was 5.1%, stable compared to August 2015 and down from 5.9% in September 2014.

Youth unemployment

In September 2015, 4.540 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 3.113 million were in the euro area. Compared with September 2014, youth unemployment decreased by 500 000 in the EU28 and by 251 000 in the euro area. In September 2015, the youth unemployment rate was 20.1% in the EU28 and 22.1% in the euro area, compared with 21.8% and 23.4% respectively in September 2014. In September 2015, the lowest rates were observed in Germany (7.0%), Austria (11.0%), Denmark (11.2%) and the Netherlands (11.5%), and the highest in Greece (48.6% in July 2015), Spain (46.7%), Croatia (43.1% in the third quarter 2015) and Italy (40.5%).