Unemployment rate in EU rises to 6.7% in May

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - The EU's unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in May, the bloc's statistical office announced Thursday.

The figure was up from 6.6% in this April and unchanged from May 2019, Eurostat said.

The number of people unemployed increased by 253,000 month-on-month in 27-member bloc in the shadow of coronavirus pandemic, it underlined.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate reached 7.4% in the euro area, up from 7.3% a month earlier.

The eurozone/euro area or EA19 represents member states that use the single currency -- euro -- while the EU27 includes all member countries of the bloc.

The unemployment rate for women was 7.2% in the EU and for men was 6.4% in May.

Some 2.8 million unemployed young people -- under 25 -- were jobless in the EU, bringing the youth unemployment rate to 15.7% in May.