Euro-zone1 seasonally-adjusted unemployment2 stood at 8.3% in July 2002 unchanged compared to June³, Eurostat - Statistical Office of the European Communities in Luxembourg - reports today. It was 8.0% in July 2001.
The EU15 unemployment rate was 7.7% in July unchanged compared to June³. It was 7.3% in July 2001.
In July 2002, lowest rates were registered in Luxembourg (2.4%), the Netherlands (2.8% in June), Austria (4.1%), Denmark (4.3%), Ireland and Portugal (4.5% each). Spain’s 11.3% remained the EU’s highest rate.
Among the twelve 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. Ireland (3.8% to 4.5%), the Netherlands (2.4% in June 2001 to 2.8% in June 2002), Luxembourg (2.0% to 2.4%) and Austria (3.6% to 4.1%) recorded the most important relative increases. DenmarkÂ's rate on the other hand remained stable at 4.3%.
In July 2002 compared to July 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 July 2001 to 6.9% in July 2002. Over the same period the female rate increased from 8.5% to 8.7%.
In July 2002, the unemployment rate for under-25s was 16.4% in the euro-zone and 15.3% in the EU15. This compares to 15.7% and 14.6% respectively a year earlier. In July 2002, it ranged from 5.7% in the Netherlands (in June) to 22.2% in Spain.
In July, the US unemployment rate was 5.8% and the Japanese rate was 5.4%.
Eurostat estimates that, in July 2002, 11.6 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.
For more information please visit http://europa.eu.int.
(source: Eurostat)
