Eurostat reported the euro area unemployment rate at 6.2 per cent in May 2026, unchanged from April and down from a year earlier.
The EU rate held at 5.9 per cent, with 13.163 million people unemployed across the bloc.
Youth unemployment edged up in the EU but held steady in the euro area, a labour signal for sourcing teams.
The statistical office estimated 13.163 million unemployed people in the EU in May, including 10.986 million in the euro area. It said unemployment fell by 40,000 in the EU and by 55,000 in the euro area compared with April 2026, and declined by 82,000 and 158,000 respectively from May 2025.
It also estimated that 2.918 million people under 25 were unemployed in the EU in May 2026, including 2.313 million in the euro area. The youth unemployment rate was 15.2 per cent in the EU, up from 15.1 per cent in April, while the euro area rate was stable at 14.7 per cent. Youth unemployment rose by 18,000 in the EU from April but fell by 12,000 in the euro area.
EU unemployment rate for women was 6.2 per cent in May 2026, unchanged from April, while the rate for men fell to 5.7 per cent from 5.8 per cent. In the euro area, women’s unemployment eased to 6.4 per cent from 6.5 per cent, and men’s unemployment declined to 6.0 per cent from 6.1 per cent.
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