The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Malta in July was 5.7 percent, 1.6 per cent lower than than in the Euro area, according to Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

Eurostat estimates showed that 16.292 million men and women in the EU27, including 11.372 million in the euro area, were unemployed in July. Compared with June 2008, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 73,000 in the EU27 and increased by 25,000 in the euro area. Compared with July last year, unemployment fell by 563,000 in the EU27 and rose by 59,000 in the euro area.

Among the member states, the lowest unemployment rates were registered in Denmark (2.3%) and the Netherlands (2.6%), and the highest in Spain (11%) and Slovakia (10.3%).

Compared with a year ago, 20 member states, including Malta, recorded a fall in their unemployment rate, six an increase and in one the rate remained stable. The largest falls were observed in Poland (9.5% to 6.8%) and Denmark (4.1% to 2.3%), and the highest increases in Spain (8.2% to 11.0%) and Ireland (4.6% to 5.9%). The rate in Malta was 6.4 per cent in July last year.

The unemployment rate for males increased from 6.6 percent to 6.7 percent between July 2007 and July 2008 in the euro area and fell from 6.6 percent to 6.4 percent in the EU27. The female unemployment rate declined from 8.4 percent to 8.1 percent in the euro area and from 7.7 percent to 7.2 percent in the EU27.

In July 2008, the youth unemployment rate (under-25s) was 14.7 percent in the euro area and 14.6 percent in the EU27. In July 2007 it was 14.6 percent and 15.3 percent respectively.

The unemployment rate in July in the USA was 5.7 percent and in Japan 4.1 percent.