EU jobless rate unchanged

The unemployment rate in the 25 European Union member and accession states was 9.1 per cent in April 2004, the same rate as in April 2003, according to Eurostat, the European statistics agency.

The lowest jobless rates were registered in Luxembourg (4.2 per cent), Cyprus (4.4 per cent), Ireland and Austria (both 4.5 per cent), the Netherlands (4.7 per cent in March) and the United Kingdom (4.7 per cent in February). The unemployment rates were highest in Poland (18.9 per cent), Slovakia (16.6 per cent), Lithuania (11.5 per cent ) and Spain (11.2 per cent).

Fourteen countries recorded an increase in their unemployment rate over a year, 10 a decrease and one remained the same. The Netherlands (3.5 per cent in March 2003 to 4.7 per cent in March 2004), Luxembourg (3.5 per cent to 4.2 per cent), Sweden (5.4 per cent to 6.3 per cent) and Malta (7.9 per cent to nine per cent) recorded the most important relative increases.

The largest relative decreases were observed in Lithuania (13.2 per cent to 11.5 per cent), Estonia (10.4 per cent to 9.2 per cent) and the United Kingdom (5.1 per cent in February 2003 to 4.7 per cent in February 2004).

Eurostat estimates that this April 19.3 million people were unemployed in the EU25.

In April this year, the US unemployment rate stood at 5.6 per cent and the Japanese rate was 4.7 per cent.