EU: Unemployment rate stable at 6.4% in April

ANKARA

The European Union saw no change in the unemployment rate in April 2019, stable at 6.4%, according to official data announced on Tuesday.

"The EU28 unemployment rate was 6.4% in April 2019, stable compared with March 2019 and down from 7.0% in April 2018," Eurostat said.

On a yearly basis, the euro area EA19 seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in the EU dropped 0.8% point compared with 8.4% in April, 2018.

The eurozone/euro area or EA19 represents member states that use the single currency -- euro -- while the EU28 includes all member countries of the bloc.

Official figures revealed that nearly 15.8 million men and women in the EU28 -- of whom around 12.5 million in the euro area -- were unemployed.

Eurostat stated that the lowest rates were in Czech Republic with 2.1% and Germany with 3.2%, as the highest figures were in Greece with 18.5% -- February figures --, and Spain with 13.8%.

"In April 2019, 3.2 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 2.3 million were in the euro area.

"The youth unemployment rate was 14.2% in the EU28 and 15.8% in the euro area, compared with 15.4%and 17.2% respectively in April 2018" it said.

On the youth unemployment side, the lowest figures were recorded in Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands, while the highest figures were observed in Greece, Spain and Italy.