The Netherlands had the highest employment rate among European Union countries in 2024, at 82.5 percent, while Iceland had the highest employment rate among all European countries. The second highest employment rate in the EU was that of Malta, which had an employment rate of 78.4 percent. Italy reported the lowest employment rate in the EU at 62.3 percent.

This dataset provides values for EMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Among European Union countries in March 2025, Spain had the highest unemployment rate at 10.9 percent, followed by Finland at 9.4 percent. By contrast, Czechia has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, at 2.6 percent. The overall rate of unemployment in the European Union was 5.8 percent in the same month - a historical low-point for unemployment in the EU, which had been at over 10 percent for much of the 2010s.

Unemployment Rate in European Union remained unchanged at 5.90 percent in April. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - European Union Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The statistic reflects the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in member states of the European Union in November 2024. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Spain in November 2024 was 11.2 percent.The unemployment rate represents the share of the unemployed in all potential employees available to the job market. Unemployment rates in the EU The unemployment rate is an important measure of a country or region’s economic health, and despite unemployment levels in the European Union falling slightly from a peak in early 2013 , they remain high, especially in comparison to what the rates were before the worldwide recession started in 2008. This confirms the continuing stagnation in European markets, which hits young job seekers particularly hard as they struggle to compete against older, more experienced workers for a job, suffering under jobless rates twice as high as general unemployment. Some companies, such as Microsoft and Fujitsu, have created thousands of jobs in some of the countries which have particularly dire unemployment rates, creating a beacon of hope. However, some industries such as information technology, face the conundrum of a deficit of qualified workers in the local unemployed work force, and have to hire workers from abroad instead of helping decrease the local unemployment rates. This skills mismatch has no quick solution, as workers require time for retraining to fill the openings in the growing science-, technology-, or engineering-based jobs, and too few students choose degrees that would help them obtain these positions. Worldwide unemployment also remains high, with the rates being worst in the Middle East and North Africa. Estimates by the International Labour Organization predict that the problem will stabilize in coming years, but not improve until at least 2017.

This dataset provides values for UNEMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Historical chart and dataset showing European Union unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

The statistic shows the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in EU member states as of November 2024. The source defines youth unemployment as unemployment of those younger than 25 years. In November 2024, the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate in Spain was at 26.6 percent. Youth unemployment rate in EU member states Unemployment is a crucial economic factor for a country; youth unemployment is often examined separately because it tends to be higher than unemployment in older age groups. It comprises the unemployment figures of a country’s labor force aged 15 to 24 years old (i.e. the earliest point at which mandatory school education ends). Typically, teenagers and those in their twenties who are fresh out of education do not find jobs right away, especially if the country’s economy is experiencing difficulties, as can be seen above. Additionally, it also tends to be higher in emerging markets than in industrialized nations. Worldwide, youth unemployment figures have not changed significantly over the last decade, nor are they expected to improve in the next few years. Youth unemployment is most prevalent in the Middle East and North Africa, even though these regions report high unemployment figures regardless (Zimbabwe and Turkmenistan are among the countries with the highest unemployment rates in the world, for example), and are also highly populated areas with a rather weak infrastructure, compared to industrialized regions. In the European Union and the euro area, unemployment in general has been on the rise since 2008, which is due to the economic crisis which caused bankruptcy and financial trouble for many employers, and thus led to considerable job loss, less job offerings, and consequently, to a rise of the unemployment rate. Older workers are struggling to find new jobs despite their experience, and young graduates are struggling to find new jobs, because they have none. All in all, the number of unemployed persons worldwide is projected to rise, this is not down to the economic crisis alone, but also the industrial automation of processes previously performed by workers, as well as rising population figures.

Unemployment Rate In the Euro Area decreased to 6.20 percent in April from 6.30 percent in March of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Euro Area Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate: Aged 15-24: All Persons for the European Union (LRUN24TTEUQ156S) from Q1 2005 to Q4 2019 about EU, 15 to 24 years, Europe, unemployment, and rate.

Full Time Employment in European Union decreased to 164651.20 Thousand in the first quarter of 2025 from 165223.80 Thousand in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - European Union Full Time Employment- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Unemployment in the European Union has reached its low point in the twenty-first century in 2025. The share of the labour force out of work was slighly under 5.8 percent between January and March of that year, a marked decrease from its most recent peak of 7.8 percent in the Summer of 2020. While the jobs recovery has been strong in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic in the EU, this number is still far above the remarkably low rate in the United States, which has reached 4.3 percent in 2024. Nevertheless, this recent decline is a positive development for the EU countries, many of which have long suffered from chronic unemployment issues. In some regional labour markets in the EU, the issue is now less of people who can't find work, but employers who cannot find employees, leading to labour shortages. The sick men of Europe Several EU member states have long had high unemployment rates, with the large numbers of people in long-term unemployment being particularly concerning. Italy, France, Greece, Spain, and Portugal have all had double-digit unemployment rates for significant amounts of time during this period, with the ability of people to freely migrate to other EU countries for work only marginally decreasing this. While these countries have long dealt with these issues due to their declining legacy industries and the struggle of competing in a liberalized, globalized economy, their unemployment rates reached their highest points following the global financial crisis, great recession, and Eurozone crisis. These interconnected crises led to a period of prolonged stagnation in their economies, with unemployment reaching as high as 25 percent in Greece, the worst affected economy.

Youth Unemployment Rate in European Union decreased to 14.80 percent in April from 15 percent in March of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - European Union Youth Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

European Union - Employment rates of recent graduates was 82.40% in December of 2022, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Employment rates of recent graduates - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, European Union - Employment rates of recent graduates reached a record high of 82.40% in December of 2022 and a record low of 74.30% in December of 2013.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Rate: Aged 15-64: All Persons for the European Union (LREM64TTEUA156N) from 2005 to 2019 about EU, employment-population ratio, 15 to 64 years, Europe, employment, population, and rate.

Dataset replaced by: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/data/dataset/dHrGWL2c8rI4NSN1yRLFA The employment rate is calculated by dividing the number of persons aged 20 to 64 in employment by the total population of the same age group. The indicator is based on the EU Labour Force Survey. The survey covers the entire population living in private households and excludes those in collective households such as boarding houses, halls of residence and hospitals. Employed population consists of those persons who during the reference week did any work for pay or profit for at least one hour, or were not working but had jobs from which they were temporarily absent.

European Union Employment Rate: EU 28: Age 15 to 64 data was reported at 69.100 % in Sep 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 68.700 % for Jun 2018. European Union Employment Rate: EU 28: Age 15 to 64 data is updated quarterly, averaging 64.300 % from Mar 2001 (Median) to Sep 2018, with 71 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 69.100 % in Sep 2018 and a record low of 61.900 % in Mar 2002. European Union Employment Rate: EU 28: Age 15 to 64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G006: Eurostat: Employment Rate.

Employment Rate: EA 19: Male: Age 20 to 64 data was reported at 79.200 % in Mar 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 79.400 % for Dec 2022. Employment Rate: EA 19: Male: Age 20 to 64 data is updated quarterly, averaging 75.300 % from Mar 2009 (Median) to Mar 2023, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 79.700 % in Sep 2022 and a record low of 72.200 % in Mar 2013. Employment Rate: EA 19: Male: Age 20 to 64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G009: Eurostat: Employment Rate.

Employment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Male: Age 15 to 24 data was reported at 33.500 % in Dec 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 34.400 % for Sep 2020. Employment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Male: Age 15 to 24 data is updated quarterly, averaging 35.450 % from Mar 2000 (Median) to Dec 2020, with 84 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 40.200 % in Sep 2000 and a record low of 30.900 % in Mar 2013. Employment Rate: EU 27 excl UK: Male: Age 15 to 24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G009: Eurostat: Employment Rate.

Euro Area - Employment rate was 71.20% in December of 2020, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Euro Area - Employment rate - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, Euro Area - Employment rate reached a record high of 72.50% in December of 2019 and a record low of 67.30% in December of 2013.