February 2014
Euro area unemployment rate
at 11.9%
EU28 at
10.6%
The euro area1 (EA18)
seasonally-adjusted2 unemployment rate3 was 11.9% in February
2014, stable since October 20134. It was 12.0% in February 2013. The
EU281 unemployment rate
was 10.6% in February 2014, down from 10.7% in January 20144. It was
10.9% in February 2013. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
Eurostat
estimates that 25.920 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 18.965 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in February 2014. Compared with January
2014, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 65 000 in the EU28 and by 35 000 in the euro area. Compared with February 2013,
unemployment decreased by 619 000 in the EU28,
and by 166 000 in the euro area.
Member States
Among
the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (4.8%), Germany (5.1%) and Luxembourg
(6.1%), and the highest in Greece
(27.5% in December 2013) and Spain
(25.6%).
Compared
with a year ago, the unemployment rate increased in eleven Member States, fell
in fifteen and remained stable in Romania
and Sweden. The highest increases were registered in Cyprus (14.7% to 16.7%),
Greece (26.3% to 27.5% between December 2012 and December 2013), Italy (11.8% to 13.0%) and the Netherlands (6.2% to 7.3%). The largest decreases were observed in
Hungary (11.2% to 8.3%
between January 2013 and January 2014), Latvia
(13.8% to 11.6% between the fourth
quarters of 2012 and 2013), Portugal
(17.5% to 15.3%), and Ireland (13.7% to 11.9%).
In February
2014, the unemployment rate in the United
States was 6.7%, up from 6.6% in January 2014, but down from 7.7% in
February 2013.
Youth unemployment
In February
2014, 5.392 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 3.415 million were in the
euro area. Compared with February
2013, youth unemployment decreased by 295 000 in the EU28 and by 194 000 in the euro
area. In February 2014, the youth unemployment rate5 was 22.9%
in the EU28 and 23.5% in the euro area, compared with 23.6% and
24.0% respectively in February 2013. In February 2014, the lowest rates were
observed in Germany (7.7%), Austria (9.4%) and the Netherlands (11.5%), and the highest in Greece (58.3% in December 2013), Spain (53.6%) and Croatia
(48.8% in the fourth quarter of 2013).
2. The euro area (EA18) includes Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Ireland,
Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.
The EU28 includes Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), the
Czech Republic (CZ), Denmark (DK), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Ireland (IE),
Greece (EL), Spain (ES), France (FR), Croatia (HR), Italy (IT), Cyprus (CY),
Latvia (LV), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Hungary (HU), Malta (MT), the
Netherlands (NL), Austria (AT), Poland (PL), Portugal (PT), Romania (RO),
Slovenia (SI), Slovakia (SK), Finland (FI), Sweden (SE) and the United Kingdom
(UK).
The tables also include Iceland, Norway and the United
States.
3. Non-seasonally adjusted and trend data can be found in the statistical
database on the Eurostat website. For further details please refer to the Unemployment statistics article in Statistics
Explained:
4. Eurostat produces harmonised unemployment rates for
individual EU Member States, the euro area and the EU. These unemployment rates
are based on the definition recommended by the International Labour
Organisation (ILO). The measurement is based on a harmonised source, the
European Union Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Based on the ILO
definition, Eurostat defines unemployed persons as persons aged 15 to 74 who:
- are without
work;
- are
available to start work within the next two weeks;
- and have actively
sought employment at some time during the previous four weeks.
The unemployment
rate is the number of people unemployed as a percentage of the labour
force. The labour force is the total
number of people employed plus unemployed. In this news release unemployment
rates are based on employment and unemployment data covering persons aged 15 to
74.
5. The data in this News Release are normally subject to
small revisions, caused by the updates to the seasonally adjusted series
whenever new monthly data are added. Larger revisions can occur when the most
recent LFS data are included in the calculation process. Compared with the
rates published in News Release 30/2014 of 28 February 2014, the January 2014
unemployment rate has been revised from 12.0% to 11.9% for the EA18 and from
10.8% to 10.7% for the EU28. Among Member States, the rate has been revised by between
0.3 and 0.4 percentage points for Estonia (for December 2013), Greece (for
December 2013), Cyprus, Slovenia and Slovakia. The rate has been revised
downwards by 0.6 pp for France and by 1.2 pp for Croatia. The revision for
France is mainly due to methodological changes to the LFS, which over the
period January 2003 - January 2014 caused a general downwards revision of 0.4
pp on average.
6.
The youth unemployment rate is the number of people aged 15 to 24 unemployed
as a percentage of the labour force of the same age. Therefore, the youth unemployment rate
should not be interpreted as the share of jobless people in the overall youth population. For further details please refer to the Youth unemployment article in Statistics Explained:
7. Latvia: quarterly data for all series.
Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Slovenia:
quarterly data for youth unemployment.
8. For Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Iceland the trend component is
used instead of the more volatile seasonally adjusted data.
Issued by: Eurostat
Press Office
Tim ALLEN
Tel: +352-4301-33 444
Eurostat news releases on internet:
For further information on data:
Nicola
MASSARELLI
Tel:
+352-4301-34 525
Hubertus VREESWIJK
Tel:
+352-4301-34 323
Selected Principal European Economic
Indicators: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/euroindicators
Seasonally adjusted unemployment, Totals
|
|
Rates (%)
|
Number of persons (in thousands)
|
||||||||
|
Feb 13
|
Nov 13
|
Dec 13
|
Jan 14
|
Feb 14
|
Feb 13
|
Nov 13
|
Dec 13
|
Jan 14
|
Feb 14
|
|
|
EA18
|
12.0
|
11.9
|
11.9
|
11.9
|
11.9
|
19 131
|
19 065
|
18 961
|
19 000
|
18 965
|
|
EU28
|
10.9
|
10.7
|
10.7
|
10.7
|
10.6
|
26 539
|
26 121
|
25 967
|
25 985
|
25 920
|
|
Belgium
|
8.3
|
8.4
|
8.4
|
8.5
|
8.5
|
407
|
416
|
416
|
419
|
417
|
|
Bulgaria
|
12.9
|
13.1
|
13.2
|
13.2
|
13.1
|
434
|
442
|
445
|
445
|
443
|
|
Czech
Republic
|
7.3
|
6.8
|
6.7
|
6.7
|
6.7
|
384
|
359
|
357
|
356
|
355
|
|
Denmark
|
7.2
|
6.8
|
7.1
|
7.0
|
7.0
|
209
|
197
|
205
|
201
|
202
|
|
Germany7
|
5.4
|
5.2
|
5.2
|
5.1
|
5.1
|
2 299
|
2 219
|
2 204
|
2 188
|
2 174
|
|
Estonia
|
9.4*
|
8.9
|
8.7
|
:
|
:
|
63*
|
60
|
59
|
:
|
:
|
|
Ireland
|
13.7
|
12.2
|
12.0
|
11.9
|
11.9
|
293
|
264
|
260
|
258
|
258
|
|
Greece
|
26.3*
|
27.6
|
27.5
|
:
|
:
|
1 301*
|
1 360
|
1 349
|
:
|
:
|
|
Spain
|
26.6
|
26.1
|
25.8
|
25.8
|
25.6
|
6 070
|
5 915
|
5 841
|
5 811
|
5 755
|
|
France
|
10.3
|
10.2
|
10.2
|
10.3
|
10.4
|
3 026
|
2 991
|
3 009
|
3 031
|
3 051
|
|
Croatia
|
16.9
|
17.5
|
17.3
|
17.6
|
17.6
|
280
|
292
|
290
|
296
|
297
|
|
Italy
|
11.8
|
12.8
|
12.7
|
12.9
|
13.0
|
3 034
|
3 262
|
3 236
|
3 299
|
3 307
|
|
Cyprus
|
14.7
|
16.7
|
16.9
|
16.5
|
16.7
|
65
|
75
|
76
|
73
|
74
|
|
Latvia6
|
13.8***
|
11.6
|
11.6
|
:
|
:
|
130***
|
118
|
118
|
:
|
:
|
|
Lithuania
|
12.6
|
10.9
|
10.9
|
11.3
|
11.5
|
186
|
159
|
160
|
167
|
168
|
|
Luxembourg
|
5.6
|
6.0
|
6.1
|
6.1
|
6.1
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
16
|
15
|
|
Hungary
|
11.2**
|
9.3
|
8.8
|
8.3
|
:
|
485**
|
411
|
389
|
369
|
:
|
|
Malta
|
6.3
|
6.6
|
6.8
|
6.9
|
6.9
|
12
|
13
|
13
|
13
|
13
|
|
Netherlands7
|
6.2
|
6.9
|
7.0
|
7.1
|
7.3
|
550
|
621
|
628
|
634
|
649
|
|
Austria7
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
4.9
|
4.8
|
220
|
219
|
221
|
217
|
210
|
|
Poland
|
10.6
|
10.0
|
9.9
|
9.8
|
9.7
|
1 833
|
1 743
|
1 726
|
1 709
|
1 689
|
|
Portugal
|
17.5
|
15.4
|
15.3
|
15.3
|
15.3
|
928
|
819
|
816
|
812
|
812
|
|
Romania
|
7.2
|
7.4
|
7.3
|
7.3
|
7.2
|
714
|
737
|
732
|
730
|
721
|
|
Slovenia
|
10.6
|
9.7
|
9.8
|
9.8
|
9.8
|
106
|
96
|
98
|
97
|
97
|
|
Slovakia
|
14.2
|
14.1
|
14.1
|
14.0
|
13.9
|
388
|
382
|
381
|
380
|
380
|
|
Finland7
|
8.1
|
8.3
|
8.3
|
8.4
|
8.4
|
217
|
222
|
223
|
224
|
226
|
|
Sweden
|
8.1
|
8.0
|
8.0
|
8.2
|
8.1
|
414
|
412
|
410
|
420
|
419
|
|
United
Kingdom
|
7.7*
|
7.1
|
7.1
|
:
|
:
|
2 478*
|
2 305
|
2 292
|
:
|
:
|
|
Iceland7
|
5.6
|
5.5
|
5.5
|
5.5
|
:
|
10
|
10
|
10
|
10
|
:
|
|
Norway
|
3.6*
|
3.5
|
3.6
|
:
|
:
|
96*
|
96
|
99
|
:
|
:
|
|
United States
|
7.7
|
7.0
|
6.7
|
6.6
|
6.7
|
11 990
|
10 838
|
10 342
|
10 212
|
10 409
|
: Data not available *
December 2012 ** January
2013 *** Q4 2012
Seasonally adjusted youth (under 25s) unemployment
|
|
Rates (%)
|
Number of persons (in
thousands)
|
||||||||
|
Feb 13
|
Nov 13
|
Dec 13
|
Jan 14
|
Feb 14
|
Feb 13
|
Nov 13
|
Dec 13
|
Jan 14
|
Feb 14
|
|
|
EA18
|
24.0
|
23.7
|
23.5
|
23.6
|
23.5
|
3 609
|
3 469
|
3 445
|
3 453
|
3 415
|
|
EU28
|
23.6
|
23.1
|
23.0
|
23.0
|
22.9
|
5 687
|
5 477
|
5 428
|
5 437
|
5 392
|
|
Belgium
|
22.5
|
23.7
|
23.8
|
24.2
|
24.1
|
93
|
97
|
98
|
99
|
97
|
|
Bulgaria
|
27.8
|
28.1
|
28.2
|
28.4
|
28.4
|
68
|
60
|
61
|
62
|
61
|
|
Czech
Republic
|
19.6
|
19.3
|
18.7
|
18.2
|
17.1
|
73
|
68
|
66
|
64
|
60
|
|
Denmark
|
13.0
|
12.9
|
13.6
|
13.6
|
13.4
|
58
|
56
|
59
|
59
|
58
|
|
Germany7
|
7.8
|
7.8
|
7.8
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
352
|
349
|
346
|
342
|
338
|
|
Estonia
|
21.1
|
21.9
|
19.1
|
:
|
:
|
13
|
13
|
12
|
:
|
:
|
|
Ireland
|
28.1
|
25.4
|
25.6
|
26.0
|
26.0
|
61
|
52
|
53
|
54
|
54
|
|
Greece
|
60.8
|
58.3
|
58.3
|
:
|
:
|
182
|
171
|
169
|
:
|
:
|
|
Spain
|
55.8
|
55.1
|
54.2
|
54.2
|
53.6
|
966
|
908
|
887
|
883
|
861
|
|
France
|
25.5
|
23.6
|
23.7
|
23.6
|
23.6
|
727
|
661
|
663
|
663
|
662
|
|
Croatia6
|
50.5
|
48.8
|
48.8
|
:
|
:
|
77
|
72
|
72
|
:
|
:
|
|
Italy
|
38.7
|
41.8
|
41.7
|
42.4
|
42.3
|
651
|
670
|
673
|
689
|
678
|
|
Cyprus6
|
35.7
|
40.5
|
40.5
|
:
|
:
|
15
|
18
|
18
|
:
|
:
|
|
Latvia6
|
22.9
|
23.8
|
23.8
|
:
|
:
|
22
|
23
|
23
|
:
|
:
|
|
Lithuania
|
22.6
|
20.4
|
20.5
|
21.1
|
21.1
|
28
|
25
|
25
|
27
|
26
|
|
Luxembourg
|
18.6
|
17.1
|
17.4
|
17.7
|
17.4
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
Hungary
|
29.3
|
25.1
|
24.4
|
23.0
|
:
|
89
|
78
|
77
|
74
|
:
|
|
Malta
|
13.8
|
13.4
|
13.9
|
14.0
|
13.9
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
|
Netherlands7
|
10.4
|
11.4
|
11.3
|
11.1
|
11.5
|
148
|
163
|
160
|
156
|
162
|
|
Austria7
|
8.9
|
9.6
|
10.1
|
10.3
|
9.4
|
53
|
56
|
60
|
61
|
54
|
|
Poland
|
27.5
|
27.3
|
27.0
|
27.0
|
26.9
|
417
|
401
|
397
|
395
|
389
|
|
Portugal
|
40.6
|
34.8
|
34.3
|
34.6
|
35.0
|
162
|
132
|
129
|
130
|
132
|
|
Romania6
|
23.1
|
24.1
|
24.1
|
:
|
:
|
185
|
191
|
191
|
:
|
:
|
|
Slovenia6
|
21.9
|
20.0
|
20.0
|
:
|
:
|
16
|
14
|
14
|
:
|
:
|
|
Slovakia
|
34.0
|
33.5
|
33.3
|
32.5
|
32.3
|
76
|
69
|
68
|
68
|
68
|
|
Finland7
|
19.9
|
19.9
|
19.9
|
20.1
|
20.2
|
66
|
66
|
66
|
67
|
67
|
|
Sweden
|
24.2
|
24.1
|
22.6
|
22.9
|
23.6
|
157
|
163
|
149
|
154
|
160
|
|
United
Kingdom
|
20.5
|
19.8
|
19.7
|
:
|
:
|
927
|
893
|
885
|
:
|
:
|
|
Iceland7
|
11.4
|
10.6
|
10.6
|
10.8
|
:
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
:
|
|
Norway
|
9.6
|
9.2
|
9.6
|
:
|
:
|
37
|
35
|
37
|
:
|
:
|
: Data not available
Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates (%), by gender
|
|
Males
|
Females
|
||||||||
|
Feb 13
|
Nov 13
|
Dec 13
|
Jan 14
|
Feb 14
|
Feb 13
|
Nov 13
|
Dec 13
|
Jan 14
|
Feb 14
|
|
|
EA18
|
11.9
|
11.8
|
11.7
|
11.7
|
11.8
|
12.1
|
12.1
|
12.0
|
12.1
|
12.0
|
|
EU28
|
10.9
|
10.7
|
10.6
|
10.6
|
10.6
|
10.9
|
10.8
|
10.8
|
10.8
|
10.7
|
|
Belgium
|
8.5
|
8.7
|
8.7
|
8.8
|
8.7
|
8.0
|
8.2
|
8.1
|
8.2
|
8.1
|
|
Bulgaria
|
14.1
|
14.1
|
14.2
|
14.1
|
14.0
|
11.6
|
12.1
|
12.1
|
12.1
|
12.1
|
|
Czech
Republic
|
6.3
|
5.7
|
5.7
|
5.7
|
5.7
|
8.5
|
8.1
|
8.1
|
8.1
|
8.0
|
|
Denmark
|
7.1
|
6.3
|
6.6
|
6.6
|
6.5
|
7.4
|
7.4
|
7.6
|
7.4
|
7.6
|
|
Germany7
|
5.7
|
5.5
|
5.5
|
5.4
|
5.4
|
5.1
|
4.8
|
4.8
|
4.8
|
4.7
|
|
Estonia
|
9.6
|
9.4
|
9.2
|
:
|
:
|
8.7
|
8.4
|
8.2
|
:
|
:
|
|
Ireland
|
15.8
|
13.6
|
13.4
|
13.2
|
13.2
|
11.1
|
10.4
|
10.3
|
10.3
|
10.3
|
|
Greece
|
23.9
|
24.6
|
24.5
|
:
|
:
|
30.3
|
31.7
|
31.6
|
:
|
:
|
|
Spain
|
26.1
|
25.4
|
25.1
|
25.0
|
24.8
|
27.1
|
26.9
|
26.7
|
26.7
|
26.6
|
|
France
|
10.4
|
10.2
|
10.2
|
10.3
|
10.4
|
10.2
|
10.2
|
10.3
|
10.4
|
10.4
|
|
Croatia
|
17.5
|
17.6
|
17.4
|
17.8
|
17.9
|
16.1
|
17.5
|
17.3
|
17.4
|
17.4
|
|
Italy
|
11.1
|
12.1
|
12.1
|
12.3
|
12.5
|
12.9
|
13.6
|
13.6
|
13.8
|
13.6
|
|
Cyprus
|
15.0
|
17.8
|
18.0
|
17.2
|
17.5
|
14.4
|
15.6
|
15.7
|
15.7
|
15.9
|
|
Latvia6
|
13.7
|
12.2
|
12.2
|
:
|
:
|
11.6
|
11.0
|
11.0
|
:
|
:
|
|
Lithuania
|
14.6
|
12.1
|
12.2
|
12.5
|
12.8
|
10.7
|
9.8
|
9.7
|
10.2
|
10.2
|
|
Luxembourg
|
5.1
|
5.6
|
5.7
|
5.6
|
5.5
|
6.1
|
6.6
|
6.7
|
6.9
|
6.8
|
|
Hungary
|
11.6
|
9.1
|
8.4
|
7.9
|
:
|
10.6
|
9.5
|
9.2
|
8.7
|
:
|
|
Malta
|
6.2
|
6.6
|
6.8
|
6.9
|
6.8
|
6.5
|
6.5
|
6.8
|
7.0
|
7.0
|
|
Netherlands7
|
6.6
|
7.3
|
7.4
|
7.4
|
7.6
|
5.7
|
6.5
|
6.6
|
6.8
|
6.9
|
|
Austria7
|
5.2
|
4.8
|
4.8
|
4.8
|
4.8
|
4.8
|
5.2
|
5.3
|
5.1
|
4.8
|
|
Poland
|
9.9
|
9.5
|
9.3
|
9.2
|
9.1
|
11.5
|
10.8
|
10.6
|
10.6
|
10.6
|
|
Portugal
|
17.8
|
15.0
|
15.0
|
14.9
|
15.0
|
17.2
|
15.9
|
15.8
|
15.6
|
15.6
|
|
Romania
|
7.7
|
8.0
|
7.9
|
7.8
|
7.7
|
6.5
|
6.6
|
6.5
|
6.5
|
6.6
|
|
Slovenia
|
10.1
|
9.0
|
9.2
|
9.2
|
9.1
|
11.2
|
10.5
|
10.5
|
10.6
|
10.6
|
|
Slovakia
|
13.7
|
14.2
|
14.3
|
14.3
|
14.3
|
14.9
|
14.0
|
13.8
|
13.6
|
13.5
|
|
Finland7
|
8.8
|
8.9
|
9.0
|
9.0
|
9.1
|
7.3
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
7.7
|
|
Sweden
|
8.4
|
8.3
|
8.1
|
8.4
|
8.4
|
7.8
|
7.7
|
7.9
|
7.9
|
7.9
|
|
United
Kingdom
|
8.2
|
7.5
|
7.4
|
:
|
:
|
7.2
|
6.7
|
6.8
|
:
|
:
|
|
Iceland7
|
5.9
|
5.8
|
5.8
|
5.8
|
:
|
5.3
|
5.1
|
5.1
|
5.2
|
:
|
|
Norway
|
3.8
|
3.6
|
3.8
|
:
|
:
|
3.2
|
3.4
|
3.5
|
:
|
:
|
:
Data not available
