Luxembourg, 04/05/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat, the rate of unemployment in the euro-zone was 8.4% in March 2001, that is, 0.1% down compared to the previous month and 0.8% down compared to the rate in March 2000 (9.2%). Unemployment in the Union (EU15) was 7.8% in March, stable compared to February, but down compared to March 2000 when it stood at 8.5%. By way of comparison, the rate of unemployment was 4.3% in the United States and 4.8% in Japan.
In March 2001, the lowest rates were noted in Luxembourg (2.3%), the Netherlands (2.5% in February), Austria (3.7%) and Ireland (3.8%). The rate of unemployment in Spain (13.5%) remained the highest in the EU. For the under 25 bracket, unemployment was 16.7% in the euro zone and 15.7% in the EU15 as a whole. One year earlier, at the same period, it was 17.7% and 16.7% respectively. In March 2001, it ranged from less than 6% in Austria, the Netherlands and Ireland to over 25% in Italy and Spain.
Eurostat considers that, in March 2001, 11.5 million men and women were unemployed in the euro zone and 13.4 million in the EU15. The Statistical Office of the European Communities points out, moreover, that, over the past twelve months, the largest relative falls in unemployment were recorded in Ireland (from 4.6 to 3.8%), France (from 10 to 8.6%), the Netherlands (from 2.9 to 2.5%) and Sweden (from 6.4 to 5.4%).