Malta's 4 per cent June unemployment rate was the lowest throughout the eurozone, new Eurostat figures have shown. 

Unemployment across the eurozone was 10.1 per cent during that month, stable when compared to May and down from 11 per cent in June 2015. This remains the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since July 2011, Eurostat noted. 

Across the entire EU28, unemployment fell from 9.5 per cent in June 2015 to 8.6 per cent in June of this year - the lowest figure since March 2009.

The rates mean that compared with June 2015, unemployment fell by 2.114 million in the EU28 and by 1.363 million in the eurozone.

Malta's 4 per cent rate was just lower than the Czech Republic's 4.1 per cent and Germany's 4.2 per cent figures. The highest unemployment rates were observed in Greece (23.3 per cent in April 2016) and Spain (19.9 per cent).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate in June 2016 fell in twenty-five Member States, remained stable in Belgium and Estonia, while it increased in Austria (from 5.7 per cent to 6.2 per cent). The largest decreases were registered in Cyprus (from 15.1 per cent to 11.7 per cent), Croatia (from 16.2 per cent to 13.2 per cent), Bulgaria (from 9.7 per cent to 7.2 per cent) and Spain (from 22.3 per cent to 19.9 per cent).

Youth unemployment

 Youth unemployment was also down across the EU and eurozone, from 20.6 per cent and 22.5 per cent in June 2015 to 18.5 per cent and 20.8 per cent in June this year respectively. 

Malta was also the EU's best performer in this regard, with its 6.9 per cent youth unemployment rate beating Germany's 7.2 per cent. Greece and Spain, where youth unemployment reached 47.4 per cent and 45.8 per cent, registered the EU's highest rates.