Euro area jobless rate unexpectedly eased to its lowest level since in over a decade in February, just ahead of the announcement of coronavirus pandemic containment measures in several countries in the region. The jobless rate fell to 7.3 percent, data from Eurostat showed Wednesday, while economists had expected it to remain unchanged at January's 7.4 percent. That was the lowest rate since March 2008, the agency added. In February 2019, the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent.
The EU unemployment rate was 6.5 percent, unchanged from February. A year ago, it was 6.9 percent. The latest rate is the lowest recorded in the EU since the start of the monthly unemployment series in February 2000, Eurostat said. In February, a total 13.984 million people were unemployed in the EU, of whom 12.047 million were in the euro area. The number of persons unemployed decreased by 62,000 from the previous month in the EU and by 88,000 in the euro area. Compared to the same month last year, unemployment fell by 784,000 persons in the EU and by 663,000 in the euro area.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.