Euro-area seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 11.8% in March, unchanged from February and down from 12% a year ago; EU jobless rate unchanged at 10.5%, down from 10.9% a year ago: Eurostat

Cindy Allen

BRUSSELS , May 2, 2014 (press release) – The euro area1 (EA18) seasonally-adjusted2 unemployment rate3 was 11.8% in March 2014, stable since December 20134, but down from 12.0% in March 2013. The EU281 unemployment rate was 10.5% in March 2014, stable compared with February 20144, but down from 10.9% in March 2013. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 25.699 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 18.913 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in March 2014. Compared with February 2014, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 66 000 in the EU28 and by 22 000 in the euro area. Compared with March 2013, unemployment decreased by 929 000 in the EU28 and by 316 000 in the euro area.

Member States

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (4.9%), Germany (5.1%) and Luxembourg (6.1%), and the highest in Greece (26.7% in January 2014) and Spain (25.3%).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate increased in ten Member States, remained stable in three and fell in fifteen. The highest increases were registered in Cyprus (14.8% to 17.4%), the Netherlands (6.4% to 7.2%), Italy (12.0% to 12.7%) and Croatia (16.6% to 17.3%), and the largest decreases in Hungary (11.2% to 7.9% between February 2013 and February 2014), Latvia (13.9% to 11.6% between the fourth quarters of 2012 and 2013), Portugal (17.4% to 15.2%) and Ireland (13.7% to 11.8%).

In March 2014, the unemployment rate in the United States was 6.7%, stable compared with February 2014, but down from 7.5% in March 2013.

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