Euro-zone seasonally-adjusted unemployment stood at 8.3% in August 2002, unchanged compared to July, Eurostat - Statistical Office of the European Communities in Luxembourg - reports today. It was 8.0% in August 2001. The EU15 unemployment rate was 7.7% in August, unchanged compared to July. It was 7.3% in August 2001.
In August 2002, lowest rates were registered in Luxembourg (2.5%), the Netherlands (2.8% in July), Austria (4.2%), Denmark (4.3%), Ireland (4.5%) and Portugal (4.6%). Spain’s 11.3% remained the EU’s highest rate.
Among the thirteen Member States for which data are available for the most recent two months, eleven recorded an increase in their unemployment rate in the last twelve months. Luxembourg (2.0% to 2.5%), the Netherlands (2.3% in July 2001 to 2.8% in July 2002), Ireland (3.8% to 4.5%), and Austria (3.6% to 4.2%) recorded the most important relative increases. ItalyÂ's rate decreased from 9.5% (in July 2001) to 9.0% (in July 2002) whilst DenmarkÂ's remained stable at 4.3%.
In August 2002 compared to August 2001, the unemployment rate for males in the euro-zone grew from 6.7% to 7.2%, and the female unemployment rate rose from 9.7% to 9.8%. In the EU15 the unemployment rate for males grew from 6.4% in August 2001 to 6.9% in August 2002. Over the same period the female rate increased from 8.5% to 8.6%.
In August 2002, the unemployment rate for under-25s was 16.3% in the euro-zone and 15.3% in the EU15. This compares to 15.7% and 14.6% respectively a year earlier. In August 2002, it ranged from 5.7% in the Netherlands (in July) to 27.3% in Italy (in July).
In August, the US unemployment rate was 5.7% and the Japanese rate was 5.4%.
Eurostat estimates that, in August 2002, 11.5 million men and women were unemployed in the euro-zone and 13.5 million in the EU15. These are seasonally-adjusted figures in line with ILO criteria.
(source: Eurostat)
