EU Unemployment at record high

Unemployment in the eurozone hit a fresh high of 18.2 million in August, the EU statistics agency has said. The number of people out of work rose by 34,000, and revised data for July showed that the unemployment rate remained at a record high of 11.4%. The highest unemployment rate was recorded in Spain, where 25.1% of the workforce is out of a job, and the lowest of 4.5% was recorded in Austria. The unemployment rate in Germany was 5.5%.

 

Youth unemployment remains a particular concern, with the rate among under-25s hitting 22.8% across the eurozone, above 50% in Greece and 52.9% in Spain.

Across the wider 27-nation European Union, unemployment rose by 49,000 to 25.5 million people, Eurostat said, with the unemployment rate stable at 10.5%. Compared with a year earlier, the unemployment rate rose in 20 countries, fell in six and remained stable in the UK.