Euro zone unemployment rate stable at 9%

Euro zone unemployment rate stable at 9%

Based on the data published by EU statistics institution Eurostat, the average unemployment rate in 25 member states of European Union (EU) was recorded as 9.1% in April 2004. The average has showed no change compared to previous month and the same period of last year. Moreover, the average unemployment rate in Euro zone was stable at 9% in April 2004, compared to March 2004. This rate was 8.9% in April 2003. In the aforementioned period, lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Luxembourg with 4.2%, Cyprus with 4.4%, Ireland and Austria with 4.5% for each and the UK with 4.7% while the highest rates were registered in Poland with 18.9%, Slovakia with 16.6%, Lithuania with 11.5% and Spain with 11.2%. Eurostat estimates that, in April, 12.7 million people were unemployed in Euro zone and 19.3 million people in the EU. According to the information provided by Eurostat, the unemployment rate for the same period is recorded as 5.6% in US and 4.7% in Japan.