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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ZAGREB, 10 Jan 2022 - The unemployment rate in the European Union (EU), the euro area, and Croatia in November dropped to its lowest level since March 2020 and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by Eurostat released on Monday.

The European Union's unemployment rate, measured by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) methodology, in November, fell by 0.2 percentage points compared to the month before, to 6.5%.

In the euro area, it slid by 0.1 percentage point to 7.2%.

In both areas, the joblessness rate thus reached its lowest level since March 2020, when COVID-19 started spreading across the world.

According to Eurostat, there were 13.984 million unemployed persons in the EU in November 2021, including 11.829 million in the euro area.

Compared to October 2021, their number declined by 247,000 in the EU and by 222,000 in the euro area. Compared to November 2020, the number of unemployed persons decreased by 1.659 million in the EU and by 1.411 million in the euro area.

In November 2021, Spain and Greece were the only EU countries to record a double-digit unemployment rate, of 14.1% and 13.4% respectively.

Croatia's unemployment rate, measured by the ILO methodology, dropped to 7.1% from a revised 7.3% in October. An earlier estimate for October indicated an unemployment rate of 7%.

That is the lowest unemployment rate since the outbreak of coronavirus in March 2020, when it was 6.5%. In the February before the pandemic, it was 5.9%.

In November, Croatia thus ranked alongside Finland and Latvia, which had unemployment of 7.2% and 7.3% respectively.

There were 127,000 unemployed persons in Croatia in November, according to Eurostat, or 4,000 fewer than in October. Compared to November 2020, their number decreased by 26,000.

The lowest unemployment rate in November was registered by the Czech Republic, of 2.2%. It was followed by the Netherlands (2.7%), Poland (3%), and Germany (3.2%).

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ZAGREB, 30 July 2021 - The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate fell both in the EU and the euro area in June 2021, while in Croatia it was slightly above the EU average, a Eurostat report showed on Friday.

The EU unemployment rate was 7.1% in June 2021, down from 7.3% in May 2021 and down from 7.3% in June 2020. The euro area unemployment rate was 7.7%, down from 8.0% in May 2021 and
from 8.0% in June 2020.

An estimated 14.916 million men and women in the EU, of whom 12.517 million in the euro area, were unemployed in June 2021. Compared with May 2021, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 487,000 in the EU and by 423,000 in the euro area. Compared with June 2020, unemployment decreased by 397,000 in the EU and by 339,000 in the euro area.

Highest unemployment in Greece and Spain

The highest unemployment rates in June 2021 were recorded in Greece and Spain (both 15.1%), followed by Italy (9.7%) and Sweden (9.2%). The lowest rates were observed in Czechia (2.8%), the Netherlands (3.2%), Malta and Poland (both 3.6%).

In Croatia, the unemployment rate was 7.4%, down by half a percentage point from May. A total of 132,000 people were out of work in Croatia in June, which is 10,000 fewer than in May. Compared with June 2020, their number declined by 23,000.

Youth unemployment

In June 2021, 2.967 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2.431 million were in the euro area. The youth unemployment rate was 17.0% in the EU and 17.3% in the euro area, down from 17.6% and 17.9% respectively in the previous month. Compared with May 2021, youth unemployment decreased by 112,000 in the EU and by 78,000 in the euro area. Compared with June 2020, youth unemployment decreased by 152,000 in the EU and by 110,000 in the euro area.

The highest youth unemployment rate in June 2021 was registered in Greece (37.1%), followed by Spain (30.4%) and Italy (29.4%). The lowest rates were observed in Czechia (7.1%), Germany (7.5%) and the Netherlands (7.6%).

In Croatia, which is not required to submit monthly reports on youth unemployment, but quarterly,  the youth unemployment rate in the second quarter of the year was 22.9%, up by 2.1% compared with the previous quarter. A total of 33,000 young people in Croatia were out of work in the second quarter, 4,000 fewer than in the first quarter. Compared with the second quarter of 2020, their number fell by 5,000.

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ZAGREB, 4 March, 2021 - The unemployment rate in the European Union and the euro area remained stable in January 2021 compared with the previous month, while in Croatia it slid below the EU average, a Eurostat report showed on Thursday.

The EU unemployment rate was 7.3% in January 2021, stable compared with December 2020 and up from 6.6% in January 2020. The euro area rate was 8.1%, also stable compared with December 2020 and up from 7.4% in January 2020.

A total of 15.663 million people in the EU were unemployed in January 2021, including 13.282 million in the euro area. Compared with December 2020, their number increased by 29,000 in the EU and by 8,000 in the euro area. Compared with January 2020, unemployment rose by 1.465 million in the EU and by 1.010 million in the euro area.

The highest unemployment rate was recorded in Spain, of 16%, while all other member states had unemployment rates of below 10%. The lowest rates were registered in Poland (3.1%), the Czech Republic (3.2%) and the Netherlands (3.6%).

In Croatia, the unemployment rate in January 2021 was 7.1%, down from 7.6% in December 2020. A total of 126,000 Croatians were out of work in January, or 9,000 fewer than in the previous month. In January 2020, the unemployment rate in Croatia was 6%, with 107,000 people out of work.

No data was available for Estonia, Finland, Greece, Italy and Romania.

Youth unemployment unchanged

The EU youth unemployment rate remained at 16.9% in January 2021, unchanged from December 2020. The euro area rate was 17.1%, down from 18.5% in the previous month.

In January 2021, a total of 2.929 million young people were unemployed in the EU, including 2.356 million in the euro area. Compared with December 2020, their number increased by 3,000 in the EU and decreased by 15,000 in the euro area. Compared with January 2020, their number rose by 184,000 in the EU and by 89,000 in the euro area.

The highest youth unemployment rate was recorded in Spain, of 39.9%, ahead of Portugal (24.6%) and Sweden (24.1%). The lowest rates were registered in Germany (6.2%), the Netherlands (9.1%) and Austria (9.7%). 

In Croatia, which is not required to provide monthly data on youth unemployment, the youth unemployment rate in the last quarter of 2020 was 22.2%, with 31,000 young people out of work.

ZAGREB, September 1, 2020 - In July 2020, unemployment slightly increased in the European Union and the euro area, while it slightly decreased in Croatia, according to a report by Eurostat on Tuesday.

The seasonally-adjusted EU unemployment rate increased to 7.2% in July 2020, up from 7.1% in June 2020 and 6.7% in July 2019.

The euro area unemployment rate was up by 0.2 percentage points to 7.9%, an increase also compared to 7.5% in July last year.

A total of 15.184 million persons were unemployed in July in the EU, including 12.893 million persons in the euro area. Compared to June, the number of persons unemployed went up by 336,000 in the EU and by 344,000 in the euro area.

Croatia's unemployment rate above European average

The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in Croatia was 8.6% in July, remaining above the EU and euro area average. The unemployment rate went down by 0.2 pp compared to June, but rose compared to July 2019, when it was 6.6%.

In July 2020, there were 157,000 jobless persons in Croatia, which is 4,000 fewer than in June 2020, but 39,000 more than in July last year.

The highest unemployment rates were registered in Spain (15.8%), Italy (9.7%) and Sweden (9.4%).

The Czech Republic had the lowest unemployment rate in the EU (2.7%).

Out of the 27 member states, the data for three of them -- Estonia, Greece and Hungary -- were not available.

Slight increase in youth unemployment

In July 2020, a total of 2.906 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU, including 2.338 million in the euro area. Compared to July last year, the number of young persons unemployed went up by 37,000 in the EU and by 29,000 in the euro area.

The youth unemployment rate grew to 17% in July this year, up from 16.9% in June. It also increased by 2 pp compared to July last year.

In the euro area, the youth unemployment rate was 17.3% in July, up by 0.1 pp compared to June and by 1.7 pp compared to July 2019.

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ZAGREB, July 2, 2020 - In May 2020, Croatia was among five EU member states with the highest increase in unemployment compared to April, the EU's statistical office, Eurostat, said in a report on Thursday, reflecting the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many European countries are trying to prevent job losses with special job keeping measures or forced leave or a shorter working week.

At the same time governments have started gradually relieving lockdown measures and enterprises have begun operating and employing again.

Eurostat underscored that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented situation on the labour market so that additional indicators will be included in future reports including employment, under-employment and potential additional stakeholders on the labour market.

In today's report Eurostat notes that the EU's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in May was 6.7%, equal to May 2019. In April unemployment was 6.6%.

A total of 14.366 million men and women in the EU were unemployed in May 2020. Compared to April that number increased by 253,000. 

Croatia alongside Lithuania and Latvia

The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in Croatia in May was 8.9% or 0.8 percentage points higher than in April.

A total of 164,000 Croatians were out of work in May or 16,000 more than in April and 44,000 more than in May 2019.

Croatia is alongside Lithuania and Latvia which too recorded an increase in unemployment in May of 0.8 percentage points.

Cyprus recorded the biggest increase in unemployment (+1.3 p.p.). 

The lowest unemployment rates in May were recorded in Spain (14.5%) followed by Cyprus (10.2%).

The marked rise in youth unemployment

In May 2020, 2.815 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU.

In May 2020, the youth unemployment rate was 15.7% in the EU, up from 15.4% in the previous month. Compared with April 2020, youth unemployment increased by 64,000 in the EU. 

New Eurostat report shows that Croatia experienced the highest falls in employment rates in the EU in July this year. However, Croatia still has a double-digit unemployment rate along with four other countries in the EU.