(31 July 2017) – This is the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since February 2009 and since December 2008 in the EU28. But youth unemployment generally remains very high.
Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in June 2017 were recorded in the Czech Republic (2,9%), Germany (3.8%) and Malta (4.1%). The highest unemployment rates were observed in Greece (21.7% in April 2017) and Spain (17.1%).
Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate fell in all Member States, except Estonia which showed an increase (from 6.5% in May 2016 to 6.9% in May 2017). The largest decreases were registered in Spain (from 19.9% to 17.1%) and Croatia (from 13.3% to 10.6%).
In June 2017, the youth unemployment rate was 16.7% in the EU28 and 18.7% in the euro area. In June 2017, the lowest rate was observed in Germany (6.7%), while the highest were recorded in Greece (45.5% in April 2017), Spain (39.2%) and Italy (35.4%).