In October 2021, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.3 %, down from 7.4 % in September 2021 and from 8.4 % in October 2020. The EU unemployment rate was 6.7 % in October 2021, static compared with September 2021 and down from 7.5 % in October 2020. Eurostat estimates that 14.312 million men and women in the EU [ 1 ], of whom 12.045 million in the euro area ( EA ) [ 2 ], were unemployed in October 2021. Compared with September 2021, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 77 000 in the EU and by 64 000 in the euro area. Compared with October 2020, unemployment decreased by 1.650 million in the EU and by 1.564 million in the euro area. In October 2021, 2 905 million young persons ( under 25 ) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2 367 million were in the euro area. In October 2021, the youth unemployment rate was 15.9 % for both the EU and the euro sphere, down from 16.0 % in the EU and 16.1 % in the euro area in the previous calendar month. Compared with September 2021, youth unemployment decreased by 2 000 in the EU and by 9 000 in the euro area. Compared with October 2020, youth unemployment decreased by 165 000 in both the EU and the euro area. In October 2021, the unemployment rate for women was 7.0 % in the EU, devour from 7.1 % in September 2021. The unemployment rate for men was 6.4 % in October 2021, devour from 6.5 % in September 2021. In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women decreased from 7.8 % in September 2021 to 7.7 % in October 2021 while the unemployment rate for men remained stable at 7.0 %.

Data sources

These estimates are based on the globally used International Labour Organisation standard definition of unemployment, which counts as unemployed people people without a job who have been actively seeking bring in the last four weeks and are available to start influence within the adjacent two weeks. The COVID-19 outbreak and the measures applied to combat it have triggered a astute increase in the number of claims for unemployment benefits across the EU. At the lapp clock time, a significant part of those those who had registered in unemployment agencies were no longer actively looking for a job or no longer available for work, for case, if they had to take care of their children. This leads to discrepancies in the act of register unemployed people and those measured as unemployed people according to the ILO definition. To capture in broad the unprecedented labor market position triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak, the data on unemployment have been complemented by extra indicators, e.g. underemployed half-time workers, persons seeking exercise but not immediately available and persons available to work but not seeking, released together with LFS data for the second one-fourth of 2021. LFS data for the third quarter of 2021 will be released on 13 January 2022.

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An unemployed person is defined by Eurostat, according to the guidelines of the International Labour Organization, as person aged 15 to 74 without knead during the reference week who is available to start work within the next two weeks and who has actively sought employment at some fourth dimension during the last four weeks. The unemployment pace is the total of people unemployed people as a share of the labor force. In addition to the unemployment measures covered here, Eurostat besides publishes statistics for persons who fulfil merely partially the definition of unemployment. These persons are not included in the official ILO unemployment concept and have a vary degree of attachment to the labor marketplace. The indicators on Labour market loose – annual statistics on unmet needs for employment accessory the unemployment rate to provide a more accomplished word picture of the labor market. There is presently no specific legal basis for producing and disseminating monthly unemployment data. however, these monthly data are estimates based on results of the European Union Labour storm survey ( EU LFS ), which is a continuous family sketch carried out in all Member States in accord with european legislation and on the basis of harmonize definitions. These results are interpolated/extrapolated to monthly data using national view data and/or national monthly series on file unemployment. The quarterly LFS results are constantly used as a benchmark to ensure international comparison. As for most Member States the results from the LFS for a full quarter are available 90 days after the end of the reference period, the most holocene figures are normally probationary. For many countries monthly unemployment data are calculated by Eurostat, while several countries actually supply those figures directly from the LFS.

The follow LFS data are used in the calculations of the monthly unemployment rates published in this article :

  • For Czechia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Sweden: monthly LFS data up to and including October 2021.
  • For Denmark, Estonia and Portugal: monthly data (3 month moving average) up to and including September, October and November 2021.
  • Austria and Italy: the data are provisional up to October 2021 included.
  • For Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Luxembourg, Poland and Slovakia: quarterly data up and including Q2 2021.
  • For Cyprus, Ireland, Spain, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia : quarterly data up and including Q3 2021.

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 serial are then seasonally adjusted and all the national and european aggregates are calculated. monthly unemployment figures are published by Eurostat as rates ( as a share of the parturiency power ) or levels ( in thousands ), by sex and for two old age groups ( persons aged 15-24, and those aged 25-74 ). The figures are available as unadapted, seasonally adjusted and course series. There are monthly estimates for all EU Member States. Data for the EU aggregate beginning in 2000 and for the euro area in April 1998 ; the start point for individual Member States varies. Member States may publish other rates such as register-based unemployment rates, or rates based on the national LFS or corresponding surveys. These rates may vary from those published by Eurostat due to a unlike definition or methodological choices .