Unemployment in the EU stabilised again at 6.0% in June
Unemployment in the European Union remained steady in June, as it had in previous months. The seasonally adjusted rate stood at 6.0 percent, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union in Luxembourg. In the euro area, unemployment rose slightly from 6.4 to 6.5 percent.
Eurostat estimates that around 13.3 million people were unemployed across the EU, with around 11.1 million in the 21 eurozone countries. Spain (11.5 percent) and Greece (9.6 percent) had the highest unemployment rates, as in previous months. The lowest rates were in the Czech Republic (2.7 percent) and Poland (3.0 percent).
For Germany, Eurostat reported an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent. The EU agency uses a different calculation method for international comparability than the German Federal Employment Agency, which reported 5.8 percent for June and 6.0 percent for the following month of July, a sharper increase than usual.
Despite the steady unemployment rate in June across the European Union, efforts to decrease unemployment levels continue to be a priority. The high unemployment rates in Spain and Greece, at 11.5% and 9.6% respectively, highlight the need for targeted employment initiatives in these countries.
