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The euro area1 (EA15) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate2 stood at 7.1% in March 2008, unchanged compared with February3. It was 7.5% in March 2007. The EU271 unemployment rate was 6.7% in March 2008, also unchanged compared with February3. It was 7.3% in March 2007.
Eurostat estimates that 15.993 million men and women in the EU27, of which 10.930 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in March 2008. Compared with February 2008, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 93 000 and 26 000 respectively. Compared with March 2007, unemployment was down by 1.4 million in the EU27 and by 0.6 million in the euro area.
These figures are published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.
Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were registered in the Netherlands (2.6%) and Denmark (3.1% in February), and the highest in Slovakia (9.8%) and Spain (9.3%).
Over the last year, twenty-three Member States recorded a fall in their unemployment rate and four an increase. The largest falls were observed in Poland (10.3% to 7.7%), Bulgaria (7.5% to 5.9%) and Slovakia (11.3% to 9.8%), and the highest increases in Spain (8.1% to 9.3%) and Ireland (4.6% to 5.6%).
The unemployment rate for males fell from 6.7% to 6.3% between March 2007 and March 2008 in the euro area and from 6.7% to 6.2% in the EU27. The female unemployment rate declined from 8.6% to 8.0% in the euro area and from 8.1% to 7.3% in the EU27.
In March 2008, the youth unemployment rate (under-25s) was 14.5% in the euro area and 14.6% in the EU27. In March 2007 it was 14.9% and 15.7% respectively. The lowest rates were observed in the Netherlands (5.0%) and Denmark (6.8% in February), and the highest in Greece and Italy (both 21.8% in the fourth quarter 2007).
The unemployment rate was 5.1% in the USA in March 2008, and 3.9% in Japan in February 2008.[ Figures and graphics available in PDF and WORD PROCESSED ]
The euro area (EA15) consists of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia and Finland.
The EU27 includes Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), the Czech Republic (CZ), Denmark (DK), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Ireland (IE), Greece (EL), Spain (ES), France (FR), Italy (IT), Cyprus (CY), Latvia (LV), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Hungary (HU), Malta (MT), the Netherlands (NL), Austria (AT), Poland (PL), Portugal (PT), Romania (RO), Slovenia (SI), Slovakia (SK), Finland (FI), Sweden (SE) and the United Kingdom (UK).
Eurostat produces harmonised unemployment rates for individual EU Member States, the euro area and the EU. These unemployment rates are based on the definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The measurement is based on a harmonised source, the European Union Labour Force Survey (LFS).
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), unemployed persons are defined as persons who:
- are without work;
- are available to start work within the next two weeks;
- and have actively sought employment at some time during the previous four weeks.
Eurostat restricts this definition to people aged 15 to 74.
The unemployment rate is the number of people unemployed as a percentage of the labour force. The labour force is the total number of people employed and unemployed.
The numbers of unemployed and the monthly unemployment rates are estimates based on results of the LFS which is a continuous household survey carried out in all countries on the basis of agreed definitions. These results are interpolated/extrapolated to monthly data using national survey data and/or national monthly series on registered unemployment. The most recent figures are therefore provisional; first results from the Labour Force Survey are available 90 days after the end of the reference period for most Member States. Technical details on the calculations for each Member State can be found on the Eurostat internet site under Data / Population and social conditions / Labour market / Employment and unemployment / LFS main indicators, together with more detailed tables.
Monthly unemployment and employment series are calculated first at the level of four categories for each Member State (males and females 15-24 years, males and females 25-74 years). These series are then seasonally adjusted and all the national and European aggregates are calculated.
Member States may publish other rates such as register based unemployment rates, or other rates based on national Labour Force Surveys or corresponding surveys. These rates may vary from those published by Eurostat due to different definition or methodological choices.
Current deviations from the definition of unemployment in the EU Labour Force Survey:
Spain, United Kingdom: Unemployment is restricted to persons aged 16-74. In Spain the legal age limit for working is 16.
Netherlands: Persons without a job, who are available for work and looking for a job are only included in unemployment if they express that they would like to work.
The February 2008 unemployment rates published in News Release 44/2008 of 1 April 2008 for the euro area and the EU27 remain unchanged. As a regular update of the calculation process, the most recent EU Labour Force Survey data have been included for several Member States. This has caused a revision in the monthly unemployment rates of more than 0.1 percentage points for Denmark and Ireland.
Provisional data: the Swedish Labour Force Survey was amended in April 2005 to take further account of the EU harmonised methodology. This break in the series may affect the reliability of the seasonal adjustment.
Greece, Italy and Romania: quarterly data for all series.
Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia: quarterly data for youth unemployment.

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