In November 2024, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3%, stable compared with October 2024 and down from 6.5% in November 2023. The EU unemployment rate was 5.9% in November 2024, also stable compared with October 2024 and down from 6.1% in November 2023. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
Eurostat estimates that 12.968 million persons in the EU, of whom 10.819 million in the euro area, were unemployed in November 2024.
Compared with October 2024, unemployment decreased by 16 thousand in the EU and by 39 thousand in the euro area.
Compared with November 2023, unemployment decreased by 295 thousand in the EU and by 333 thousand in the euro area.
Youth unemployment
In November 2024, 3.013 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2.423 million were in the euro area. In November 2024, the youth unemployment rate was 15.3% in the EU, up from 15.2% in October 2024, and 15.0% in the euro area, stable compared with the previous month.
Compared with October 2024, youth unemployment increased by 24 thousand in the EU and by 2 thousand in the euro area.
Compared with November 2023, youth unemployment increased by 159 thousand in the EU and by 101 thousand in the euro area.
Unemployment by sex
In November 2024, the unemployment rate for women was 6.1% in the EU, stable compared with the previous month, and the unemployment rate for men was 5.7%, also stable compared with October 2024. In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women was 6.5% and the unemployment rate for men was 6.1%, both stable compared with October 2024.
Additional labour market indicators
The estimates in this News Release are based on the globally used International Labour Organisation (ILO) standard definition of unemployment, which counts as unemployed people without a job who have been actively seeking work in the last four weeks and are available to start work within the next two weeks.
To capture in full the labour market situation, the data on unemployment have been complemented by additional indicators, e.g. underemployed part-time workers, persons seeking work but not immediately available and persons available to work but not seeking, released together with LFS data for the third quarter of 2024.
LFS data for the fourth quarter of 2024 will be released on 14 March 2025.
Tables
Rates (%) | Number of persons (in thousands) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||
Nov | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Nov | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | |
Euro area | 6.5 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 11 152 | 10 850 | 10 862 | 10 858 | 10 819 |
EU | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 13 263 | 12 991 | 13 055 | 12 984 | 12 968 |
Belgium | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 293 | 302 | 308 | 311 | 311 |
Bulgaria | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 134 | 122 | 121 | 120 | 117 |
Czechia | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 133 | 141 | 144 | 133 | 146 |
Denmark | 5.8 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 187 | 195 | 214 | 193 | 216 |
Germany | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 1 394 | 1 536 | 1 526 | 1 519 | 1 517 |
Estonia | 6.4 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 48 | 58 | 61 | 57 | 57 |
Ireland | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 124 | 119 | 119 | 120 | 119 |
Greece | 10.8 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 9.8 | 9.6 | 502 | 444 | 443 | 467 | 455 |
Spain | 11.9 | 11.3 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 11.2 | 2 870 | 2 767 | 2 749 | 2 749 | 2 744 |
France | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 2 321 | 2 343 | 2 357 | 2 391 | 2 429 |
Croatia | 5.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 99 | 86 | 84 | 81 | 80 |
Italy | 7.5 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 1 915 | 1 564 | 1 541 | 1 480 | 1 457 |
Cyprus | 5.6 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 28 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
Latvia | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 66 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
Lithuania | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.5 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 113 | 117 | 118 | 109 | 109 |
Luxembourg | 5.8 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
Hungary | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 208 | 218 | 221 | 221 | 221 |
Malta | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Netherlands | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 357 | 374 | 377 | 376 | 372 |
Austria | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 234 | 252 | 264 | 266 | 237 |
Poland | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 543 | 535 | 540 | 543 | 541 |
Portugal | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 353 | 347 | 359 | 363 | 364 |
Romania | 5.5 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 449 | 456 | 458 | 441 | 436 |
Slovenia | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 36 | 43 | 47 | 51 | 54 |
Slovakia | 5.6 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 154 | 145 | 144 | 144 | 144 |
Finland | 7.6 | 8.5 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 215 | 242 | 243 | 244 | 245 |
Sweden | 8.1 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 462 | 481 | 482 | 482 | 483 |
Iceland | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.4 | : | : | 8 | 8 | 8 | : | : |
Norway | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 112 | 121 | 121 | 121 | 121 |
Switzerland | 4.1 | 4.6 | 4.7 | : | : | 210 | 234 | 242 | : | : |
United States | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 6 289 | 7 070 | 6 785 | 6 989 | 7 182 |
Rates (%) | Number of persons (in thousands) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||
Nov | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Nov | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | |
Euro area | 14.6 | 14.9 | 14.9 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 2 322 | 2 384 | 2 390 | 2 421 | 2 423 |
EU | 14.8 | 15.1 | 15.3 | 15.2 | 15.3 | 2 854 | 2 967 | 3 007 | 2 989 | 3 013 |
Belgium | 17.0 | 18.5 | 18.5 | : | : | 72 | 80 | 80 | : | : |
Bulgaria | 13.6 | 12.2 | 12.0 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Czechia | 7.4 | 10.8 | 12.1 | 10.4 | 10.5 | 20 | 32 | 33 | 29 | 30 |
Denmark | 12.8 | 15.2 | 15.3 | 14.5 | 17.2 | 63 | 75 | 78 | 70 | 83 |
Germany | 6.0 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 273 | 306 | 303 | 299 | 295 |
Estonia | 19.6 | 20.8 | 19.3 | 16.7 | 16.6 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
Ireland | 10.9 | 10.0 | 10.5 | 10.8 | 10.9 | 40 | 38 | 40 | 42 | 43 |
Greece | 30.6 | 17.6 | 16.1 | 23.3 | 23.1 | 75 | 45 | 36 | 59 | 57 |
Spain | 28.8 | 26.6 | 26.5 | 26.7 | 26.6 | 495 | 487 | 488 | 496 | 498 |
France | 17.4 | 20.1 | 20.4 | 20.6 | 20.5 | 587 | 686 | 698 | 707 | 703 |
Croatia | 17.9 | 16.0 | 16.0 | : | : | 22 | 20 | 20 | : | : |
Italy | 22.0 | 19.0 | 18.9 | 17.8 | 19.2 | 329 | 272 | 269 | 249 | 266 |
Cyprus | 16.9 | 12.3 | 12.3 | : | : | 6 | 4 | 4 | : | : |
Latvia | 15.2 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 13.7 | 14.0 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Lithuania | 16.3 | 20.8 | 20.5 | 18.5 | 18.6 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 20 |
Luxembourg | 21.1 | 22.6 | 22.7 | 23.1 | 23.0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Hungary | 14.4 | 16.2 | 17.0 | 16.7 | 16.2 | 44 | 51 | 54 | 53 | 50 |
Malta | 9.2 | 10.6 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 10.7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Netherlands | 8.2 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 148 | 159 | 161 | 161 | 158 |
Austria | 9.4 | 12.6 | 9.6 | 11.3 | 10.7 | 48 | 67 | 51 | 59 | 55 |
Poland | 12.1 | 10.9 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 141 | 126 | 125 | 125 | 124 |
Portugal | 23.9 | 20.1 | 21.7 | 22.1 | 21.5 | 92 | 74 | 82 | 86 | 85 |
Romania | 22.1 | 25.3 | 25.3 | : | : | 106 | 138 | 138 | : | : |
Slovenia | 10.3 | |||||||||