EU Unemployment Rate Falls to 8.1 per cent

According to Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, "Euro Area" seasonally-adjusted unemployment stood at 7.8 per cent in June 2006, compared to 7.9 per cent in May. It was 8.6 per cent in June 2005. The EU25 unemployment rate was 8.1 per cent in June 2006, compared to 8.2 per cent in May3. It was 8.8 per cent in June 2005.

In June 2006, the lowest rates were registered in the Netherlands (3.8 per cent), Denmark (3.9 per cent), Ireland (4.4 per cent), and Luxembourg (4.7 per cent). Unemployment rates were highest in Poland (16.0 per cent), Slovakia (15.1 per cent), Greece (9.6 per cent in the fourth quarter 2005), France (8.7 per cent), and Malta (8.5 per cent).

Amongst the 25 EU Member States, 17 recorded a fall in their unemployment rate over a year and seven reported an increase. The largest relative falls were observed in Estonia (8.0 per cent to 4.9 per cent), Lithuania (8.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent), Denmark (5.1 per cent to 3.9 per cent), and the Netherlands (4.8 per cent to 3.8 per cent). The highest relative increases were registered in Malta (7.2 per cent to 8.5 per cent), the United Kingdom (4.6 per cent in April 2005 to 5.3 per cent in April 2006), Slovenia (6.2 per cent to 6.5 per cent),and Cyprus (5.4 per cent to 5.6 per cent).  The unemployment rate for Scotland, according to data supplied by the Office for National Statistics, was 5.6 per cent in May 2006, down 0.1 per cent on the year to May 2005.

In June 2006, the US unemployment rate was 4.6 per cent and the Japanese rate was 4.2 per cent.