Brussels, 01/07/2003 (Agence Europe) - The unemployment rate within the Euro-Zone stood at 8.8% in May, as April, according to data published by Eurostat on Tuesday. The unemployment rate in the EU as a whole (EU15) rose from 8.0% in April to 8.1% in May. In May, the lowest rates were recorded in Luxembourg (3.6%), the Netherlands (3.9% in April), Austria (4.6%) and Denmark (5.2%). Spain's unemployment rate (11.3%) remained the highest in the EU. The highest relative increases were registered in Portugal (from 4.7% to 7.5%), the Netherlands (from 2.6% in April 2002 to 3.9% in April 2003), and Luxembourg (from 2.7% to 3.6%). Italy's unemployment rate fell from 9.0% (in April 2002) to 8.7% (in April 2003), and Finland's from 9.1% to 9.0%. The unemployment rate in France stood at 9.1% (the same as last April) and in Germany at 9.4% (as in April 2003).
Eurostat estimates that in May 2003, 12.3 million men and women were out of work in the Euro-Zone, and 14.3 million in EU15. In May 2003 (compared to May 2002), the unemployment rate for men in the Euro-Zone grew from 7.2% to 7.8%, and for women from 9.8% to 10.2%. In EU15, the men's unemployment rate rose from 6.9% in May 2002 to 7.3% in May 2003. During the same period, the unemployment rate for women increased from 8.6% to 9.0%. In May 2003, the unemployment rate for the under-25s was 17.0% in the Euro-Zone and 15.8% in the EU15, compared to 16.2% and 15.1% respectively in May 2002. This rate varied between 7.1% for Austria and 27.0% for Italy (in April). For purposes of comparison, the unemployment rate in the United States was 6.2%, and 5.4% in Japan.