The unemployment rate in the euro zone fell 0.1 points in August compared to July, to 6.4% of the active population, its lowest level ever recorded, according to Eurostat data published on Monday.
The indicator had already reached 6.4% in June, its lowest level since the European Statistical Office began compiling this series, in April 1998, for countries that adopted the single European currency. It was also announced in July at 6.4%, before being revised to 6.5%.
The unemployment rate drops 0.3 points compared to August 2022.
For the European Union as a whole, the unemployment rate increased to 5.9% in August, as in May and June, and fell 0.1 points compared to July, the same source specified.
Unemployment has fallen significantly in Europe since mid-2021, thanks to the strong post-Covid economic recovery that followed a historic recession.
7.3% in France
Despite the stagnation of economic activity in the euro area since the end of 2022, fueled by the consequences of the war in Ukraine and rising inflation, it continued to decline before stabilizing since the spring at a record level in a quarter of century. .
Some 12.8 million men and women were unemployed in August in the twenty-seven EU member states, including 10.9 million among the twenty countries that share the single currency.
The unemployment rate reached 7.3% in France in August, the same as in Italy, 0.1 points and 0.2 points less than in July, respectively.
In Germany it stood at 3%, as in the previous three months.
The lowest rates in the EU were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.5%), Malta (2.7%) and Poland (2.8%).
The highest were recorded in Spain (11.5%) and Greece (10.9%).
Young people under 25 years of age continue to be much more affected than the general population, with an unemployment rate of 14% in the EU as a whole and 13.8% in the euro area in August.
Eurostat data is based on the International Labor Office (ILO) definition of unemployment. People who have actively looked for work in the previous four weeks and are available to start working in the next two weeks are considered unemployed.
Source: BFM TV
