Luxembourg, 22/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat, 158.4 million Europeans (EU) had a job in the spring of 2000, or 2.9 million more than the previous year.
In the EU as a whole, the employment rate was 63.1% in 2000, compared to 62.1% in 1999 and 61% in 1998. It was higher than 70% in Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and in Sweden. The targets set in March 2001 by the Stockholm European Council, namely an employment rate of 67% in the EU in 2005, was thus already achieved in these countries as well as in Finland, Austria and Portugal. On the other hand, in 2000, the weakest employment rates have been found in Italy (53.4%), in Spain (54.7% and in Greece (55.9%). With the exception of Denmark and Austria where they remained stable, the employment rates increase in all the EU Member States in 2000.
The figures published by Eurostat also cast light on a certain number of disparities. Thus employees represent 84.2% of total employment in 2000 in the EU, but only 58.4% in Greece and 90.9% in Denmark. Another example: if 33.7% of women work part-time last year in the EU, they where only 7.9% in this position in Greece against 70.6% in the Netherlands.
Finally, the Community statistical office indicates that the unemployment rate in the Union fell from 9.4% in 1999 to 8.4% in 2000.