In the Eurozone (EZ15) the unemployment rate amounted to 7.5% in September 2008 which is the same percentage as in August 2008. In September 2007 the rate was 7.3%. In the EU27 unemployment amounted to 7.0% following 6.9% in August this year and 7.0% in September 2007.
Eurostat, the European Statistical Office, estimate that in September 2008 there were in total 16.7 million jobless people in the EU27, 11.7 million of which in the Eurozone. As compared to August this year unemployment increased by 32,000 in the Eurozone and by 52,000 in the EU27. In comparison with September 2007 the number of unemployed people increased by 132,000 in the EU27 and by 507,000 in the Eurozone.
The lowest unemployment rates were registered in the Netherlands (2.5%) and Denmark (2.9%) whereas the highest rates were to be found in Spain (11.9%) and Slovakia (10.0%).
In seventeen of the member states the unemployment rate fell over the last year and in nine it increased. The most significant decreases were registered in Poland (from 9.0% to 6.5%) and Austria (4.5% to 3.2%). The biggest increased were registered in Spain (from 8.3% to 11.9%) and Ireland (4.6% to 6.6%).
In the period from September 2007 to September 2008 unemployment among men increased from 6.5% to 6.9% in the Eurozone and from 6.4% to 6.6% in the EU27. With regard to women unemployment remained unchanged at 8.2% in the Eurozone and fell from 7.6% to 7.4% in the EU27.
With regard to young people below the age of 25 unemployment amounted to 15.3% in both the Eurozone and the EU27 in September 2008. In September 2007 the rates had been 14.5% and 15.0% respectively. The lowest rates were registered in the Netherlands (5.3%) and Austria 6.0%), the highest in Spain (25.9%) and Greece (21.4% in the second quarter 2008). 