Standing at 8.9% in September, the unemployment rate in the Eurozone has fallen to its lowest level since January 2009, according to figures published by the statistical office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Tuesday 31 October.
At EU level, the unemployment rate stood at 7.5% last month, the lowest on record since November 2008.
The lowest unemployment rates were to be seen in the Czech Republic (2.7%), Germany (3.6%) and Malta (4.1%). The highest unemployment rates were recorded in Greece (21.0% in July) and Spain (16.7%).
Compared to August, the number of people out of work has fallen by 116,000 people in the EU and 96,000 in the Eurozone. Compared to one year ago, the unemployment rate has fallen in all member states for which figures can be compared over time, with the exception of Finland, where it remained unchanged, and Lithuania, where it rose (from 7.6% to 7.7%). The largest decreases were observed in Cyprus (from 13.0% to 10.3%), Spain (from 19.1% to 16.7%) and Greece (from 23.4% to 21.0% between July 2016 and July 2017).
GDP up by 0.6% in Eurozone in third quarter
As regards the creation of wealth, seasonally adjusted GDP was up by 0.6% in both the Eurozone and the EU compared to the previous quarter, according to Eurostat. It grew by 0.7% in both zones in the second quarter. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)