01 March 2019

Euro area unemployment at 7.8%

The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.8% in January 2019, stable compared with December 2018 and down from 8.6% in January 2018. This remains the lowest rate recorded in the euro area since October 2008.

The EU28 unemployment rate was 6.5% in January 2019, down from 6.6% in December 2018 and from 7.2% in January 2018. This is the lowest rate recorded in the EU28 since the start of the EU monthly unemployment series in January 2000. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 16.222 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 12.848 million in the euro area, were unemployed in January 2019. Compared with December 2018, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 56 000 in the EU28 and by 23 000 in the euro area. Compared with January 2018, unemployment fell by 1.536 million in the EU28 and by 1.233 million in the euro area.

Member States

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in January 2019 were recorded in Czechia (2.1%) and Germany (3.2%). The highest unemployment rates were observed in Greece (18.5% in November 2018), Spain (14.1%) and Italy (10.5%).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate fell in all Member States except Denmark and Malta where it remained stable. The largest decreases were registered in Cyprus (from 10.1% to 7.4%), Greece (from 21.1% to 18.5% between November 2017 and November 2018) and Spain (from 16.4% to 14.1%).

In January 2019, the unemployment rate in the United States was 4.0%, up from 3.9% in December 2018 and down from 4.1% in January 2018. 

Full press release

© Eurostat