Euro-zone unemployment stood at 8.8% in January 2004, unchanged compared to December 20033, Eurostat reports today. It was 8.7% in January 2003. The EU15 unemployment rate was 8.0% in January 2004, unchanged compared to December 20033. It was 7.9% in January 2003.
In January 2004, lowest rates were registered in Luxembourg (3.9%), the Netherlands (4.3% in December 2003), Austria (4.5%) and Ireland (4.6%). Spain’s 11.2% remained the EU’s highest rate.
Among Member States for which data are available for at least one of the most recent three months, ten recorded an increase in their unemployment rate over a year, two a decrease and one remained stable. The Netherlands (3.0% in December 2002 to 4.3% in December 2003), Denmark (5.1% in January 2003 to 6.1% in January 2004) and Luxembourg (3.3% to 3.9%) recorded the most important relative increases. The United Kingdom’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.1% in November 2002 to 4.9% in November 2003, Spain's rate fell from 11.4% in January 2003 to 11.2% in January 2004, and Finland's remained the same at 9.0%.
In January 2004 compared to January 2003, the unemployment rate for males in the euro-zone grew from 7.6% to 7.8%, while the female unemployment rate remained the same at 10.1%. In the EU15 the unemployment rate for males grew from 7.2% in January 2003 to 7.3% in January 2004. Over the same period the female rate remained the same at 8.9%.
In January 2004, the unemployment rate for under-25s was 16.7% in the euro-zone and 15.4% in the EU15, compared to 16.7% and 15.6% respectively in January 2003. The rate ranged from 7.3% in Austria to 26.5% in Italy (in October 2003) and in Greece (in September 2003).
In January 2004, the US unemployment rate was 5.7% and the Japanese rate was 5.0%.
Eurostat estimates that, in January 2004, 12.3 million men and women were unemployed in the euro-zone and 14.2 million in the EU15. These are seasonally-adjusted figures in line with ILO criteria.
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