EU unemployment rises to 9.7%

The number of people unemployed in the European Union rose to 9.7 per cent in September, according to new figures published today.

Eurostat estimates that 22.12 million men and women were unemployed in September, up by more than 5 million compared to the same month a year ago when the unemployment rate stood at 7.1 per cent.

The number of people without jobs in the euro zone rose by 3.2 million over the year to the end of September to 15.32 million, equivalent to 9.2 per cent.

All member states recorded a rise in their unemployment rate over the year with the largest increase registered in Latvia where 19.7 per cent of the adult population are without work.

Over the year to the end of September the unemployment rate for males rose from 6.8 per cent to 9.3 per cent for the EU27 while the euro zone unemployment rate increased from 7.1 per cent to 9.6 per cent.

The female unemployment rate rose from 8.4 per cent to 9.8 per cent in the euro zone and from 7.5 per cent to 9 per cent in the EU as a whole during the same period.

Across the EU, the youth unemployment rate was 20.1 per cent, compared to 20.2 per cent for the euro zone.

The latest official data also reveals that consumer prices in the euro zone fell year-on-year for a fifth straight month in October, but are expected to start growing in November as oil costs rise above year-earlier levels.

Meanwhile, the EU's surplus in trade in goods with the US declined by half during the first six months of 2009. Germany recorded the largest surplus in trade with the USA in the first half of 2009, followed by Ireland and Italy.

In addition, during the first half of the year, the value of EUexports to the USA fell to €101bn compared with €127bn in for the same period a year earlier, while imports decreased to €85bn from €94bn.