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.

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.

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 the Euro Area decreased to 6.20 percent in July from 6.30 percent in June 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.

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.

The long-term unemployment rate expresses the number of long-term unemployed aged 15-74 as a percentage of the active population of the same age. Long-term unemployed (12 months and more) comprise persons aged at least 15, who are not living in collective households, who will be without work during the next two weeks, who would be available to start work within the next two weeks and who are seeking work (have actively sought employment at some time during the previous four weeks or are not seeking a job because they have already found a job to start later). The total active population (labour force) is the total number of the employed and unemployed population. The duration of unemployment is defined as the duration of a search for a job or as the period of time since the last job was held (if this period is shorter than the duration of the search for a job). The indicator is based on the EU Labour Force Survey. Copyright notice and free re-use of data on: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/about-us/policies/copyright

A series of recessions in the 1970s and 1980s meant that unemployment rates in some Western European countries rose to their highest levels since the Great Depression in the 1930s. While countries such as West Germany closed out the period of prosperity (known as the "Golden Age of Capitalism") with unemployment rates below one percent, figures rose gradually in the 1970s, and then furthermore in the 1980s. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the highest levels of unemployment in the listed countries were observed in Ireland and the United States; although the highest levels of unemployment in the 1980s were observed in Spain, during its transition to democracy. Of the major economic powers listed here, Japan saw the least amount of fluctuation, with a high of just 2.5 percent in the given periods; almost half of the U.S.' lowest unemployment figure in these periods.

Since the oil price shock in 1974 unemployment increased significantly and also did not really decline in periods of economic upswings in Europe. This is especially the case for the countries of the European Union; therefore we face a special need for explanation. Looking at the member states on finds considerable differences. Since 1977 the unemployment rate within the EU is higher than the average unemployment rate of all OECD countries. The economic upswing in the second half of the 80s relaxed the labor market but nevertheless the unemployment rate remained on a high level. This study deals with the development of unemployment between 1974 and 1993 in four different G7 countries: Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy. Besides the common trend of an increasing unemployment rate, there are significantly different developments within the four countries. The analysis is divided in two parts: the first part looks at the reasons for the increase in unemployment in the considered countries; the second part aims to explain the difference between the developments of unemployment during economic cycles in the different countries. After the description of similarities and differences of labor markets in the four countries it follows a long term analysis based on annual data as well as a short and medium term analysis on quarterly data. This is due to the fact that short and medium term developments are mainly influenced by cyclical economic developments but long term developments are mainly influenced by other factors like demographical and structural changes. A concrete question within this framework is if an increase in production potential can contribute to a decrease in unemployment. For the long term analysis among others the Hysteresis-hypothesis (Hysteresis = Greek: to remain; denotes the remaining effect; in this context: remaining of unemployment) used for the explanation of the persistence of a high unemployment rate. According to this approach consisting unemployment is barely decreased after economic recovery despite full utilization of capacity. According to the Hysteresis-hypothesis there are two reasons for this. The first reason is that for long term unemployed the abilities to work and the qualification level decreased, their human capital is partly devalued. The second reason is that employees give up wage restraint, because they do not fear unemployment anymore and therefore enforce higher real wages. Besides economic recovery companies are not willing to hire long term unemployed with a lower expected productivity for the higher established tariff wages. In the context of the empirical investigation a multiple explanatory approach is chosen which takes supply side and demand side factors into consideration. The short and medium term analysis refers to Okun´s law (=an increase in the unemployment rate is connected with a decrease of the GDP; if the unemployment rate stays unchanged, the GDP grows with 3% p.a.) and aims to analyze more detailed the reactions of unemployment to economic cycles. A geometrical lag-model is compared with a lag-model ager Almon. This should ensure a precise as possible analysis of the Okun´s relations and coefficients. Register of tables in HISTAT: A.: Unemployment in the European G7 countries B.: Analysis of unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany C.: Basic numbers: International comparison A.: Unemployment in the European G7 countries A.1. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Germany (1974-1993) A.2. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, France (1974-1993) A.3. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Great Britain (1974-1993) A.4. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Italy (1974-1993) B: Analysis of unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany B.1. Growth of unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany (1984-1991) B.2. Output and unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany (1961-1990) C: Basic numbers: International comparison C.1. Unemployment in EU countries, the USA, Japan and Switzerland (1960-1996) C.2. Gainful employments in EU countries, the USA, Japan and Switzerland (after inland and residency concept) (1960-1996) C.3. Employees in EU countries, the USA and Japan (1960-1996) C.4. Population in EU countries, the USA and Japan (1960-1996)

Since the oil price shock in 1974 unemployment increased significantly and also did not really decline in periods of economic upswings in Europe. This is especially the case for the countries of the European Union; therefore we face a special need for explanation. Looking at the member states on finds considerable differences. Since 1977 the unemployment rate within the EU is higher than the average unemployment rate of all OECD countries. The economic upswing in the second half of the 80s relaxed the labor market but nevertheless the unemployment rate remained on a high level. This study deals with the development of unemployment between 1974 and 1993 in four different G7 countries: Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy.

Besides the common trend of an increasing unemployment rate, there are significantly different developments within the four countries. The analysis is divided in two parts: the first part looks at the reasons for the increase in unemployment in the considered countries; the second part aims to explain the difference between the developments of unemployment during economic cycles in the different countries.

After the description of similarities and differences of labor markets in the four countries it follows a long term analysis based on annual data as well as a short and medium term analysis on quarterly data. This is due to the fact that short and medium term developments are mainly influenced by cyclical economic developments but long term developments are mainly influenced by other factors like demographical and structural changes. A concrete question within this framework is if an increase in production potential can contribute to a decrease in unemployment.

For the long term analysis among others the Hysteresis-hypothesis (Hysteresis = Greek: to remain; denotes the remaining effect; in this context: remaining of unemployment) used for the explanation of the persistence of a high unemployment rate.

According to this approach consisting unemployment is barely decreased after economic recovery despite full utilization of capacity. According to the Hysteresis-hypothesis there are two reasons for this. The first reason is that for long term unemployed the abilities to work and the qualification level decreased, their human capital is partly devalued. The second reason is that employees give up wage restraint, because they do not fear unemployment anymore and therefore enforce higher real wages. Besides economic recovery companies are not willing to hire long term unemployed with a lower expected productivity for the higher established tariff wages. In the context of the empirical investigation a multiple explanatory approach is chosen which takes supply side and demand side factors into consideration.

The short and medium term analysis refers to Okun´s law (=an increase in the unemployment rate is connected with a decrease of the GDP; if the unemployment rate stays unchanged, the GDP grows with 3% p.a.) and aims to analyze more detailed the reactions of unemployment to economic cycles. A geometrical lag-model is compared with a lag-model ager Almon. This should ensure a precise as possible analysis of the Okun´s relations and coefficients.

Register of tables in HISTAT:

A.: Unemployment in the European G7 countries B.: Analysis of unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany C.: Basic numbers: International comparison

A.: Unemployment in the European G7 countries A.1. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Germany (1974-1993) A.2. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, France (1974-1993) A.3. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Great Britain (1974-1993) A.4. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Italy (1974-1993)

B: Analysis of unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany B.1. Growth of unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany (1984-1991) B.2. Output and unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany (1961-1990)

C: Basic numbers: International comparison C.1. Unemployment in EU countries, the USA, Japan and Switzerland (1960-1996) C.2. Gainful employments in EU countries, the USA, Japan and Switzerland (after inland and residency concept) (1960-1996) C.3. Employees in EU countries, the USA and Japan (1960-1996) C.4. Population in EU countries, the USA and Japan (1960-1996)

The long-term unemployment rate is the number of persons unemployed for 12 months or longer, expressed as a percentage of the labour force (the total number of people employed and unemployed). Unemployed persons are those aged 15 to 74 who meet all three of the following conditions: were not employed during the reference week; were available to start working within two weeks after the reference week; and have actively sought work in the four weeks prior to the reference week or have already found a job to begin within the next three months.

The MIP auxiliary indicator is expressed as a percentage of the active population aged 15 to 74 years. In the table, the values are also presented as changes over a three-year period (in percentage points). The data source is the quarterly EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), which covers the resident population living in private households.

As of June 2024, Spain had the highest youth unemployment rate in Europe, at 25.8 percent, with Sweden having the second-highest youth unemployment rate as of this month, at 23.8 percent. Across the 27 member states of the European Union, the overall youth unemployment rate was 14.6 percent, with Germany having the lowest youth unemployment rate of 6.8 percent.

The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force (the total number of people employed and unemployed) based on International Labour Office (ILO) definition. Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who fulfil all three following conditions: - are without work during the reference week; - are available to start work within the next two weeks; - have been actively seeking work in the past four weeks or have already found a job to start within the next three months. The indicator monitors high and persistent rates of unemployment and it helps to better understand the potential severity of macroeconomic imbalances. It points towards a potential misallocation of resources and general lack of adjustment capacity in the economy. The indicator is the three-year backward moving average, i.e. the data for year Y is the arithmetic average of data for years Y, Y-1 and Y-2. It is calculated: [URt+URt-1+URt-2]/3. The indicative threshold is 10%. The data source is the quarterly EU Labour Force Survey (EU LFS). The EU LFS covers the resident population in private households.

The youth unemployment rate is a MIP auxiliary indicator, expressed as the percentage of unemployed individuals aged 15 to 24 compared to the total labour force (both employed and unemployed) within the same age group. Unemployed persons are defined as those who meet all three of the following conditions: they were not employed during the reference week; they were available to start working within the two weeks following the reference week; and they had actively sought work in the four weeks preceding the reference week, or had already secured a job scheduled to start within the next three months. In the table, the values are also presented as changes over a three-year period (in percentage points). The source of the data is the quarterly EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), which covers the resident population living in private households. Copyright notice and free re-use of data on: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/about-us/policies/copyright

The unemployment rate in fiscal year 2204 rose to 3.9 percent. The unemployment rate of the United States which has been steadily decreasing since the 2008 financial crisis, spiked to 8.1 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual unemployment rate of the U.S. since 1990 can be found here. Falling unemployment The unemployment rate, or the part of the U.S. labor force that is without a job, fell again in 2022 after peaking at 8.1 percent in 2020 - a rate that has not been seen since the years following the 2008 financial crisis. The financial crash caused unemployment in the U.S. to soar from 4.6 percent in 2007 to 9.6 percent in 2010. Since 2010, the unemployment rate had been steadily falling, meaning that more and more people are finding work, whether that be through full-time employment or part-time employment. However, the affects of the COVID-19 pandemic created a spike in unemployment across the country. U.S. unemployment in comparison Compared to unemployment rates in the European Union, U.S. unemployment is relatively low. Greece was hit particularly hard by the 2008 financial crisis and faced a government debt crisis that sent the Greek economy into a tailspin. Due to this crisis, and the added impact of the pandemic, Greece still has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union.

This scatter chart displays unemployment (% of total labor force) against GDP (current US$) in Europe. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

This scatter chart displays unemployment (% of total labor force) against health expenditure per capita (current US$) in Western Europe. The data is about countries per year.

The purpose of the study: to explore the attitudes of mass media leaders towards the development of European identity and citizenship in the context of EU change and enlargement. Major investigated questions: respondents were asked how often they had come into contact with people from the EU institutions, organisations and companies, as well as with contributors and institutions from the EU's Eastern Partnership countries in their professional activities over the last 12 months. They were asked how often they use Western European or US and Russian media sources (daily newspapers, including news online, radio, TV, etc.) in order to obtain information. Given the list of various institutions and contributors (EU institutions; leaders of parliamentary majority political parties - 12 choices in total), the survey analysed their power in influencing changes in Lithuania. Next, people were asked to assess the influence of different individuals concerning important national issues (ordinary citizen; member of the European Parliament - 11 choices in total). Respondents had the opportunity to assess the importance of European unification and whether it is more important to grow a competitive European economy within global markets or to ensure better social protection for all its citizens. Respondents were asked to reveal the extent to which they associate themselves with their region, their country or Europe (EU). Given the block of questions, they were asked what it means to be Lithuanian (to be Christian; to follow Lithuanian cultural traditions - 8 choices in total). Given the list of threats, they were asked to rate the risk those threats pose to the EU (non-EU immigrants; EU expansion by including Turkey - 6 choices in total). Respondents had the opportunity to assess European unification and viewpoint on how much of the €100 that an EU citizen pays in taxes should be redistributed at the local, national and EU levels. Given the block of statements, respondents were asked to indicate what it means to be European (being a Christian; following European cultural traditions - 8 choices in total). Then, trust in the EU and in the ability of Lithuanian institutions to take the right decisions was assessed. The aim was to find out whether respondents felt that decision-makers at the EU level did not take Lithuania's interests into account sufficiently, and whether the interests of some EU Member States were given too much weight. The survey went on to analyse whether different policy areas should be dealt with at the national level or at the EU level (fight against unemployment; immigration policy [from non-EU countries] - 8 choices in total). Given the next set of questions, respondents were asked what the EU will look like in 10 years time (unified EU tax system; mutual social security system - 4 choices in total). Next, they were asked how satisfied they are with the way democracy works in the EU and Lithuania. The survey went on to analyse whether the European Commission should be politically accountable to the European Parliament. Given another block of statements, respondents were asked whether or not different EU policies pose a risk to Lithuania (5 choices in total). Next, the survey went on to assess whether the redistribution of resources between EU Member States in order to protect the single currency is fair. Respondents were asked whether there should be a mutual EU army or whether each EU Member State should have its own national army, and which institution is best suited to take care of Europe's security. Respondents were asked whether they were personally content with the introduction of the euro in Lithuania in 2015 and to describe their political views on a left-right scale. While having the future of the EU in mind, respondents were asked what the EU economy, the economic disparities between EU member states, the social disparities between EU citizens, the importance of the EU as a geopolitical power in the world and what the EU politically will be like in 10 years. The survey went on to analyse whether or not Lithuania has benefited from EU membership Respondents were asked whether politicians in the Seimas and the Government should have the right to replace public officials and senior civil servants once the governing majority in Lithuania changes. The survey went further on to assess the social guarantees and legal status of journalists in Lithuania in comparison with the corresponding guarantees for journalists in Western Europe. The survey was concluded by asking respondents to share their viewpoints towards the relationship with the electorate, as well as their understanding of what is the most important function of elections in the political system. Socio-demographic characteristics: gender, age, nationality, education, experience of studying and/or working abroad, what kind of work and where worked before starting current position, areas of activity, how often participate in religious...

Seit dem ersten Ölpreisschock 1974 ist die Arbeitslosigkeit stark angestiegen und ging in den Aufschwung- und Boomphasen in Europa kaum zurück. Dies gilt besonders für die Länder der Europäischen Union, so daß hier ein besonderer Erklärungsbedarf besteht. Betrachtet man die einzelnen Mitgliedsländer, so zeigen sich auch hier noch einmal deutliche Unterschiede. Seit 1977 liegt die Arbeitslosenquote der Länder der EU über den Durchschnitt der gesamten OECD-Länder. Der Aufschwung in der zweiten Hälfte der 80er Jahre sorgte zwar für eine Entspannung auf dem Arbeitsmarkt, dennoch verharrte die Arbeitslosenquote auf einem hohen Niveau. In der vorliegenden Studie wird auf die Entwicklung der Beschäftigungslosigkeit in den vier europäischen G7–Ländern Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Frankreich, Großbritannien und Italien zwischen 1974 und 1993 eingegangen. Neben dem allgemeinen Trend eines Anstiegs der Arbeitslosenquote zeigt sich in den vier Ländern ein erheblich unterschiedlicher Kurvenverlauf. Die Analyse wird in zwei Teile durchgeführt: Zum einen gilt es zu untersuchen, wodurch der starke Anstieg der Arbeitslosigkeit in den betrachteten Staaten bedingt ist, zum zweiten wird versucht, die unterschiedlichen Verläufe der hohen Erwerbslosenquoten während der Konjunkturzyklen zu erklären. Nach einer Beschreibung der Gemeinsamkeiten sowie der Unterschiede der Arbeitsmärkte in den vier Ländern schließt sich eine langfristige Analyse auf der Basis der Jahresdaten sowie eine kurz- bis mittelfristige Betrachtung auf Basis von Quartalsdaten an. Hiermit soll der Tatsache Rechnung getragen werden, daß kurz- bis mittelfristige Entwicklungen im wesentlichen durch konjunkturelle Einflüsse bedingt sind, wogegen auf lange Sicht andere Faktoren (z.B. demographische Entwicklungen, Strukturwandel, usw.) in den Vordergund rücken. Konkret geht es um die Frage, ob eine Erhöhung des Auslastungsgrades des Produktionspotentials zu einem Abbau der Arbeitslosigkeit beitragen kann. Für die langfristige Analyse wird unter anderem die Hysteresis-Hypothese (Hysteresis = griech.: zurückbleiben; bezeichnet das Zurückbleiben einer Wirkung; hier: die verfestigte Arbeitslosigkeit) zur Erklärung der Persistenz der hohen Arbeitslosenquote herangezogen.Dieser Ansatz besagt, daß nach einer Konjunkturerholung trotz gut ausgelasteter Kapazitäten die bestehende Arbeitslosigkeit kaum verringert wird. Dies liegt laut der Hysteresis-Hypothese an zwei Gründen: Zum einen hat bei den Langzeitarbeitslosen die Arbeitsfähigkeit und -qualifikation abgenommen, ihr Human-Kapital hat sich teilweise entwertet. Zum anderen geben die Arbeitsplatz-Inhaber ihre Lohnzurückhaltung auf, weil sie nicht mehr um ihren Arbeitsplatz fürchten müssen und setzen Reallohnerhöhungen durch. Die Unternehmen sind nun trotz der Konjunkturerholung nicht bereit, Langzeitarbeitslose mit einer niedrigeren erwarteten Produktivität zu den tariflich bestimmten, höheren Löhnen zu beschäftigen.Im Rahmen der empirischen Untersuchung wird ein multipler Erklärungsansatz verwendet, der sowohl auf angebotsseitige als auch auf nachfrageseitige Faktoren eingeht. Die kurz- bis mittelfristige Analyse setzt bei dem Okun’schen Gesetz an (= der Anstieg der Arbeitslosenquote ist mit einer Abnahme des BIP verbunden; bleibt die Arbeitslosenquote unverändert, wächst das BIP mit 3% p.a.) und dient einer genaueren Analyse der Konjunkturreagibilität der Arbeitslosigkeit. Insbesondere erfolgt ein Vergleich eines geometrischen lag-Modells mit einem lag-Modell nach Almon. Hiermit soll eine möglichst optimale Ermittlung der Okun’schen Zusammenhänge und Koeffizienten gewährleistet werden. Die Resultate werden dann unter dem Blickwinkel der nationalen Arbeitsmarktverfassungen betrachtet, um zu klären, inwieweit starke Regulierungen am Arbeitsmarkt Auswirkungen auf den Verlauf der Erwerbslosenzahlen haben. Verzeichnis der Tabellen in der ZA-Datenbank HISTAT (Untergliederung der Tabellen): A.: Arbeitslosigkeit in den europäischen G7-Ländern B.: Analyse der Arbeitslosigkeit in der Bundesrepublik C.: Grundzahlen: Internationaler Vergleich A.: Arbeitslosigkeit in den europäischen G7-Ländern A.1. Determinanten der Arbeitslosigkeit in der EU, Deutschland (1974-1993) A.2. Determinanten der Arbeitslosigkeit in der EU, Frankreich (1974-1993) A.3. Determinanten der Arbeitslosigkeit in der EU, Großbritannien (1974-1993) A.4. Determinanten der Arbeitslosigkeit in der EU, Italien (1974-1993) B: Analyse der Arbeitslosigkeit in der Bundesrepublik B.1. Wachstum und Arbeitslosigkeit in der Bunderepublik in vH (1984-1991) B.2. Output und Arbeitslosigkeit in der Bunderepublik (1961-1990) C: Grundzahlen: Internationaler Vergleich C.1. Arbeitslosigkeit in den Ländern der EU, in den USA, in Japan und in der Schweiz (1960-1996) C.2. Erwerbstätigkeit in den Ländern der EU, in den USA, in Japan und in der Schweiz nach Inlands- und Inländerkonzept (1960-1996) C.3. Beschäftigte Arbeitnehmer in Ländern der EU, in den USA und in Japan (1960-1996) C.4. Die Bevölkerung in Ländern der EU, in den USA und in Japan (1960-1996) Since the oil price shock in 1974 unemployment increased significantly and also did not really decline in periods of economic upswings in Europe. This is especially the case for the countries of the European Union; therefore we face a special need for explanation. Looking at the member states on finds considerable differences. Since 1977 the unemployment rate within the EU is higher than the average unemployment rate of all OECD countries. The economic upswing in the second half of the 80s relaxed the labor market but nevertheless the unemployment rate remained on a high level. This study deals with the development of unemployment between 1974 and 1993 in four different G7 countries: Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy. Besides the common trend of an increasing unemployment rate, there are significantly different developments within the four countries. The analysis is divided in two parts: the first part looks at the reasons for the increase in unemployment in the considered countries; the second part aims to explain the difference between the developments of unemployment during economic cycles in the different countries. After the description of similarities and differences of labor markets in the four countries it follows a long term analysis based on annual data as well as a short and medium term analysis on quarterly data. This is due to the fact that short and medium term developments are mainly influenced by cyclical economic developments but long term developments are mainly influenced by other factors like demographical and structural changes. A concrete question within this framework is if an increase in production potential can contribute to a decrease in unemployment. For the long term analysis among others the Hysteresis-hypothesis (Hysteresis = Greek: to remain; denotes the remaining effect; in this context: remaining of unemployment) used for the explanation of the persistence of a high unemployment rate. According to this approach consisting unemployment is barely decreased after economic recovery despite full utilization of capacity. According to the Hysteresis-hypothesis there are two reasons for this. The first reason is that for long term unemployed the abilities to work and the qualification level decreased, their human capital is partly devalued. The second reason is that employees give up wage restraint, because they do not fear unemployment anymore and therefore enforce higher real wages. Besides economic recovery companies are not willing to hire long term unemployed with a lower expected productivity for the higher established tariff wages. In the context of the empirical investigation a multiple explanatory approach is chosen which takes supply side and demand side factors into consideration. The short and medium term analysis refers to Okun´s law (=an increase in the unemployment rate is connected with a decrease of the GDP; if the unemployment rate stays unchanged, the GDP grows with 3% p.a.) and aims to analyze more detailed the reactions of unemployment to economic cycles. A geometrical lag-model is compared with a lag-model ager Almon. This should ensure a precise as possible analysis of the Okun´s relations and coefficients. Register of tables in HISTAT: A.: Unemployment in the European G7 countries B.: Analysis of unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany C.: Basic numbers: International comparison A.: Unemployment in the European G7 countriesA.1. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Germany (1974-1993)A.2. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, France (1974-1993)A.3. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Great Britain (1974-1993)A.4. Determinates of unemployment in the EU, Italy (1974-1993) B: Analysis of unemployment in the Federal Republic of GermanyB.1. Growth of unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany (1984-1991)B.2. Output and unemployment in the Federal Republic of Germany (1961-1990) C: Basic numbers: International comparisonC.1. Unemployment in EU countries, the USA, Japan and Switzerland (1960-1996)C.2. Gainful employments in EU countries, the USA, Japan and Switzerland (after inland and residency concept) (1960-1996)C.3. Employees in EU countries, the USA and Japan (1960-1996)C.4. Population in EU countries, the USA and Japan (1960-1996)

The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force based on International Labour Office (ILO) definition. The labour force is the total number of people employed and unemployed. The MIP scoreboard indicator considers unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who: - are without work during the reference week; - are available to start work within the next two weeks; - and have been actively seeking work in the past four weeks or had already found a job to start within the next three months. Unit: rate. The indicative threshold of the indicator is 10%. In the table, values are also calculated by considering unemployed persons aged 15 to 24 and those aged 25 to 74. Copyright notice and free re-use of data on: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/about-us/policies/copyright

Employment placement agencies in Europe’s revenue is anticipated to contract at a compound annual rate of 9% over the five years through 2025 to €65.4 billion. The COVID-19 outbreak tanked business confidence and expansion plans because of economic uncertainty after months of global lockdowns, forcing hiring freezes in a tricky time for employment agencies. 2022 marked a resurgence for agencies, with companies entering a hiring frenzy post-pandemic. The labour market is cooling in 2025 amid greater global uncertainty with US tariffs impacting business confidence. Still, employment across Europe remains high. According to Eurostat data, employment in the EU reached a record peak of 75.8% in 2024. Companies enjoyed a post-COVID-19 boom in hiring, as the economy reopened and companies began to look to expand thanks to improved business confidence, which kept employment agencies busy. The labour market has proved resilient against the economic background of high interest rates and high inflation in recent years, but remains tight with several unfilled vacancies. Vacancies have dipped from the sharp rise post-COVID-19 when companies unfroze hiring decisions. Available vacancies are proving difficult to fill in 2025, indicating a skills mismatch between job seekers and roles that agencies are struggling to negotiate. Several countries attempt to address long-standing labour shortages to ameliorate professional mobility and offer training courses for in-demand skills through agencies. France, for example, is addressing youth unemployment through upskilling training programmes. Public sector hiring in Germany and Spain in health and education also pushes revenue growth for agencies compared to stunted private sector demand. Revenue is expected to rise by 8.7% in 2025 amid job cuts in the technology sector. Revenue is projected to swell at a compound annual rate of 13.2% over the five years through 2030 to reach €121.6 billion. Agencies will continue to target revenue growth by elevating their online presence, specialising their services towards more niche sectors and targeting executives and upper management positions. Technological developments remain a threat to recruiters, with HR AI systems like Paradox able to scan networking platforms such as LinkedIn for candidates. Companies’ in-house HR teams are expanding too. The sustainability sector looks to be a hot property job market to target, but potential shortages in both high and low-skilled occupations driven by employment growth in STEM professions and healthcare will create hurdles in the hiring process in other sectors.