Eurozone Unemployment Rises in May

(MENAFN) In May 2025, unemployment in the eurozone reached 6.3 percent, a slight increase from 6.2 percent in April, according to an announcement by Eurostat on Wednesday.

This small rise marks a modest shift in the employment landscape within the area that uses the euro as its currency.

Across the broader European Union, the unemployment rate held steady at 5.9 percent in May 2025, unchanged from the rate recorded in April 2025.

Despite stability in the overall EU figures, Eurostat reports that approximately 13 million people were unemployed within the EU during this period, with 10.8 million of them residing in the eurozone.

When compared to the previous month, the number of unemployed individuals increased by 48,000 across the EU and by 54,000 within the eurozone specifically.

This uptick reflects ongoing challenges in the labor markets of these regions.

Among younger individuals aged 25 and under, the situation was more concerning. In May 2025, about 2.8 million young people were unemployed across the EU, with 2.3 million of them in the eurozone.

The youth unemployment rate climbed slightly to 14.8 percent in the EU from 14.7 percent in April, while in the eurozone it edged up from 14.3 percent to 14.4 percent.

Regarding individual countries, Spain recorded the highest unemployment rate in May at 10.8 percent, whereas Malta had the lowest, with a rate of just 2.7 percent.

These figures highlight the ongoing disparity in employment conditions among EU member states.

For context, the eurozone, also known as EA20, consists of EU countries that have adopted the euro as their official currency.

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