For additional information relating to this article, please contact:
July 29, 2016EU AND EURO AREA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, JUNE 2016
Unemployment rates in Europe remained stable in June. The Euro Area unemployment rate was 10.1 per cent while the broader European Union had unemployment of 8.6 per cent. Both rates are unchanged from May.
Before and during the recession of 2008-2009, European unemployment rates were similar to those reported in Nova Scotia. However, during Europe's sovereign debt crisis of 2011-2012 unemployment rates escalated among many member states. Since 2013, unemployment rates have been slowly coming down across Europe. The broader EU unemployment rate is once again similar to levels reported for Nova Scotia, but within the Euro Area, unemployment rates remain elevated.
Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in June were recorded in the Czech Republic (4.1 per cent), Malta (4.0 per cent) and Germany (4.2 per cent). The highest rates have been observed in Greece (23.3 per cent in April) and Spain (19.9 per cent).
Note: An unemployment person is defined by Eurostat according to the guidelines of the International Labour Organization as individual aged 15 to 74 (in Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway: 16 to 74 years), who is without work, is available to start work within the next two weeks and has actively sought employment at some time during the previous four weeks. Canadian results from the Labour Force Survey shown above use slightly different age cohorts.
Source: Eurostat: Unemployment