A report released by the Eurostat showed that in April, the unemployment rate fell by 0.1% to 6.4%, while economists expected the figure to remain unchanged. A year earlier, the unemployment rate was at 6.5%. Meanwhile, the EU unemployment rate was 6.0% in April, stable compared to March and to April 2023. Among the largest eurozone economies, Spain continues to grapple with the highest unemployment rate, standing at 11.7%, followed by France at 7.3% and Italy at 6.9%. In contrast, Germany recorded the lowest rate at 3.2%.
Eurostat reported that in April, the number of unemployed persons in the eurozone decreased by 100,000 compared to March and by 101,000 in annual terms, to 10.998 million. As for the EU countries, the number of unemployed amounted to 13.149 million (-100,000 for the month and +95,000 compared to April 2023).
The data also showed that youth unemployment (under 25) in the eurozone increased by 54,000 compared to April 2023, reaching 2.272 million. In the EU, youth unemployment increased by 141,000, to 2.830 million. Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate was 14.4% in the EU, down from 14.7% in March, and 14.1% in the eurozone, down from 14.3% in the previous month.
Eurostat also reported that in the EU, the unemployment rate among women fell by 0.1% to 6.3%, while the unemployment rate for men was 5.7%, stable compared with the previous month. In the eurozone, the unemployment rate for women was 6.7%, down from 6.9% in March, and the unemployment rate for men was 6.1%, stable compared with the previous month.