In the EU27 unemployment was 8.6 % in April following 8.4 % in March and 6.8 % in April last year. Unemployment in the Eurozone in April was the highest since September 1999.

The rate of unemployment in the Eurozone (EZ16) amounted to 9.2% in April. In the EU27 unemployment was 8.6 % in April following 8.4 % in March and 6.8 % in April last year. Unemployment in the Eurozone in April was the highest since September 1999.

In the USA and Japan the respective rates were 8.9% and 4.8%.

Eurostat, the European Statistic Office estimate that in April this year there were in total 20.8 million people without work in the EU27, 14.6 million of which in the Eurozone. As compared to March this year unemployment increased by 556,000 people in the EU27 and by 396,000 in the Eurozone. In comparison with April last year unemployment rose by 4.7 million and 3.1 million people respectively.

Unemployment was lowest in the Netherlands (3.0 %) and Austria (4.2 %) and highest in Spain (18.1 %), Latvia (17.4 %) and Lithuania (16.8 %). In the period between the fourth quarter in 2007 and the fourth quarter in 2008 the only countries in which unemployment fell were Rumania (from 6.1 % to 5.8 %) and Greece (from 7.9 % to 7.8 %). In all other member states unemployment increased, most of all in Lithuania (from 4.3 % to 16.8 %), Latvia (from 6.1 % to 17.4 %) and Estonia (from 3.7 % to 13.9 %).

In the period between April 2008 and April 2009 unemployment of men grew from 6.6 % to 8.9 % in the Eurozone and from 6.3 % to 8.6 % in the EU27. Unemployment of women increased from 8.2 % to 9.4 % and from 7.3 % to 8.5 % respectively.

Unemployment among people younger than 25 years of age amounted to 18.5 % in the Eurozone and to 18.7 % in the EU27 in April this year. In April last year the respective figure had been 14.7 % in both regions. Unemployment was lowest in the Netherlands (6.0 %) and highest in Spain (36.2 %) as well as Latvia (29.2 %) in the first quarter 2009.