The unemployment rate in the euro zone fell in September to a record low of 6.6% of the active population, compared to 6.7% in June, July and August (revised figure), according to Eurostat data published this Thursday.
The indicator is at its lowest point since the European statistics office began compiling this series in April 1998. In one year, it fell 0.7 points thanks to the post-Covid economic recovery.
But the sharp slowdown in growth, caused by the war in Ukraine and the rise in inflation, darkens the outlook for the coming months.
For the European Union as a whole, the unemployment rate stagnated in September at a record low of 6%, the same figure as in August.
Some 12.96 million men and women were unemployed in the EU last month in the 27 member states, including 10.99 among the 19 countries that share the single currency.
Youth unemployment on the rise
Young people are particularly affected: the unemployment rate for workers under the age of 25 rose in September to 14.6% in the EU (from 14.3% in August), as it did in the euro zone.
In total, the unemployment rate reached 7.1% in France (compared to 7.3% in August), while in Germany it was only 3% (stable in one month).
The lowest rates were registered in the Czech Republic (2.2%) and Poland (2.6%). The highest were registered in Spain (12.7%) and Greece (11.8%).
By way of comparison, the tax rate was 3.5% in State-Unis in September, compared to 3.5% in Royal-Uni for the last three months in August, and 2.6% in Japan in September.
The unemployment rate is the percentage of people in the labor force who are unemployed.
Eurostat data is based on the International Labor Office (ILO) definition of unemployment. Unemployed people are those who have actively looked for work in the previous four weeks and are available to start work in the next two weeks.
Source: BFM TV
