EU unemployment static

The unemployment rate of the 25 EU member states was 9.1 per cent in April, the same as in March. It was also 9.1 per cent in April 2003, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Communities, has reported.

In April 2004, lowest 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 member states 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, while 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, in April 2004, 19.3 million men and women were unemployed in the EU25.

In April 2004, the US unemployment rate was 5.6 per cent and the Japanese rate was 4.7 per cent.