Over 12 million jobless in EU, with Greece still recording highest unemployment rate

An estimated 12.315 million in the euro area were unemployed in November 2019, with Greece recording the highest unemployment rate at 16.8% in September 2019, according to the latest report by the European Union’s statistical office, Eurostat.

Although Greece recorded the highest unemployment rate for 2019 it had recorded the largest decrease from 18.8% to 16.8% between September 2018 and September 2019, followed by Bulgaria (from 4.8% to 3.7%), Estonia (from 5.3% to 4.2% between October 2018 and October 2019) and Croatia (from 7.5% to 6.5%). In November 2019, the unemployment rate in the United States was 3.5%, down from 3.6% in October 2019 and from 3.7% in November 2018.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in November 2019 were recorded in Czechia (2.2%), Germany (3.1%) and Poland (3.2%).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate fell in 20 Member States, remained stable in the Netherlands and Portugal, while it increased in Luxembourg (from 5.4% to 5.5%), Slovenia (from 4.4% to 4.6%), Czechia (from 2.0% to 2.2%), Cyprus (from 7.5% to 7.7%), Sweden (from 6.5% to 6.9%) and Lithuania (from 5.8% to 6.4%).

Greece also recorded the highest youth unemployment rate at 32.5% in the third quarter of 2019, followed by Spain (32.1%) and Italy (28.6%).