ZAGREB, 1 June 2022 - Unemployment in the European Union and the euro area remained unchanged in April 2022, and in Croatia it dropped under the EU average for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a report from Eurostat showed on Wenesday.
The EU unemployment rate, measured by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) methodology, in April was 6.2% in the EU and 6.8% in the euro area remaining unchanged from March, Eurostat reported.
In April 2021, the unemployment rate was 7.5% in the EU and 8.2% in the euro area.
A total of 13.264 million EU citizens were unemployed in April, including 11.181 million in the euro area.
Compared with March, their number decreased by 89,000 in the EU and by 96,000 in the euro area. Compared with April 2021, their number fell by 2.543 million in the EU and by 2.175 million in the euro area.
Croatia alongside Lithuania
Spain and Greece again recorded two-digit unemployment rates in April 2022, the highest rates among EU members, at 13.3% and 12.7% respectively. Italy followed with an unemployment rate of 8.4%.
In Croatia, the unemployment rate was 6.1% in April, down by 0.2 percentage points from March. In April 2021, it was 8.2%.
There were 111,000 jobless people in Croatia in April 2022, two thousand fewer than in March. Compared with April 2021, their number fell by 37,000.
The closest unemployment rate to Croatia was registered in Lithuania with a rate of 6.2%.
The Czech Republic continued to record the lowest unemployment rate in the EU, at 2.4%. It was followed by Germany and Poland (3%), and Malta (3.1%).
Insignificant decrease in youth unemployment
In the age group under 25, the unemployment rate in the European Union and the euro area dropped mildly in April, by 0.1 percentage points from March to 13.9%. In April last year, it was 18.4% in the EU and 18.6% in the euro area.
There were 2.6 million unemployed young people in the EU in April 2022, including 2.12 million in the euro area.
Compared with March, the number of unemployed people dropped by 6,000 in the EU and by 1,000 in the euro area.
Compared with April 2021, their number fell by 685,000 in the EU and by 555,000 in the euro area.
The highest youth unemployment rates in April were reported by Spain and Greece, at 28.9% and 36.8% respectively. The lowest rate was recorded by Ireland at 5.6%, followed by Germany at 5.7%.
In Q1 2022, Croatia registered a youth unemployment rate of 15.9%, with 23,000 jobless young people.
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