Unemployment in EU was 10.1% in September 2014, 11.3% in Bulgaria – Eurostat
Unemployment across the 28 member states of the European Union was 10.1 per cent in September 2014, with Bulgaria higher at 11.3 per cent, according to seasonally-adjusted figures released on October 31 by EU statistics office Eurostat.
In the 18-member euro zone, unemployment was 11.5 per cent, Eurostat said. This was stable compared with August 2014, but down from 12 per cent in September 2013.
The EU’s 10.1 per cent unemployment rate in September 2014 also was stable compared with August 2014 and down from 10.8 per cent in September 2013.
Eurostat estimates that 24.512 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 18.347 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in September 2014.
Compared with August 2014, the number of unemployed decreased by 108 000 in the EU28 and by 19 000 in the euro area.
Compared with September 2013, unemployment fell by 1.818 million in the EU28 and by 826 000 in the euro area.
Among EU member states, unemployment was lowest in Germany (five per cent) and Austria (5.1 per cent), and highest in Greece (26.4 per cent in July 2014) and Spain (24 per cent).
Compared with a year ago, unemployment rate fell in 21 EU countries, increased in six and remained stable in Belgium.
The largest decreases were registered in Hungary (10 per cent to 7.6 per cent between August 2013 and August 2014), Spain (26.1 per cent to 24 per cent) and Portugal (15.7 per cent to 13.6 per cent), and the highest increases were registered in Finland (8.2 per cent to 8.7 per cent) and France (10.3 per cent to 10.5 per cent).
In Bulgaria, the September 2014 unemployment rate of 11.3 per cent represented about 377 000 jobless people.
Unemployment in Bulgaria has dropped since September 2013, when it was 12.8 per cent, about 432 000 people.
In Bulgaria, unemployment in June 2014 was 11.4 per cent, and in both July and August 2014, was 11.3 per cent, according to Eurostat’s figures.
Youth unemployment in Bulgaria in September 2014, at 22.5 per cent (about 44 000 people under 25) was higher than the EU figure of 21.6 per cent youth unemployment.
The September 2014 youth unemployment figure in Bulgaria represented an improvement from September 2013, when it was 27.5 per cent – about 61 000 under-25s.
In September 2014, 4.988 million young people (under 25) were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 3.340 million were in the euro area.
Compared with September 2013, youth unemployment decreased by 595 000 in the EU28 and by 213 000 in the euro area.
In September 2014, the youth unemployment rate was 21.6 per cent in the EU28 and 23.3 per cent in the euro area, compared with 23.5 per cent and 24.0 per cent, respectively, in September 2013.
In September 2014, the lowest rates of youth unemployment were observed in Germany (7.6 per cent), Austria (9.1 per cent) and the Netherlands (9.8 per cent), and the highest in Spain (53.7 per cent), Greece (50.7 per cent in July 2014), Italy (42.9 per cent) and Croatia (41.8 per cent in the third quarter 2014).
(Image: Sergio Roberto Bichara/sxc.hu)
