EU unemployment rate at 6.5 pct in February

By Muhammed Ali Gurtas

ANKARA (AA) - Unemployment in the EU stood at 6.5 percent in February, said the bloc's statistical office on Monday.

Eurostat said the figure showed no change compared to the previous month, but fell from 7.1 percent in February 2018.

"The euro area (EA19) seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7.8 percent in February 2019, stable compared with January 2019 and down from 8.5 percent in February 2018," it said.

The eurozone/euro area or EA19 represents member states that use the single currency -- euro -- while the EU28 includes all member countries of the bloc.

"Eurostat estimates that 16 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 12.7 million [were] in the euro area, were unemployed in February 2019," the statistical office said.

The number of people unemployed declined by 102,000 across the bloc on a monthly basis, and fell by 1.47 million year-on-year.

According to Eurostat, the lowest unemployment rates in February among member states were seen in the Czech Republic with 1.9 percent and in Germany with 3.1 percent.

The highest rates were seen in Greece (18 percent in December 2018, the latest available figures), Spain (13.9 percent), and Italy (10.7 percent), Eurostat said.

Official figures revealed that there were some 3.3 million unemployed young people -- under 25 -- in the EU28 as of February, with a 14.6 percent youth unemployment rate.

The lowest youth unemployment figures were seen in Germany, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, and the highest in Greece, Italy, and Spain.