Euro area unemployment at 6.2%  in World Economy News 03/07/2026 EU at 5.9% Overview In May 2026, the euro area seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.2%, stable compared with April 2026 and down from 6.3% in May 2025. The EU unemployment rate was 5.9% in May 2026, also stable compared with April 2026 and down from 6.0% in May 2025. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Eurostat estimates that 13.163 million persons in the EU, of whom 10.986 million in the euro area, were unemployed in May 2026. Compared with April 2026, unemployment decreased by 40 thousand in the EU and by 55 thousand in the euro area. Compared with May 2025, unemployment decreased by 82 thousand in the EU and by 158 thousand in the euro area. Youth unemployment In May 2026, 2.918 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2.313 million were in the euro area. In May 2026, the youth unemployment rate was 15.2% in the EU, up from 15.1% in the previous month, and 14.7% in the euro area, stable compared with April 2026. Compared with April 2026, youth unemployment increased by 18 thousand in the EU and decreased by 12 thousand in the euro area. Compared with May 2025, youth unemployment decreased by 8 thousand in the EU and by 56 thousand in the euro area. Unemployment by sex In May 2026, the unemployment rate for women was 6.2% in the EU, stable compared with April 2026, and the unemployment rate for men was 5.7%, down from 5.8% in the previous month. In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women was 6.4%, down from 6.5% in April 2026, and the unemployment rate for men was 6.0% in May 2026, also down from 6.1% in April 2026. Additional labour market indicators The estimates in this News Release are based on the globally used International Labour Organisation (ILO) standard definition of unemployment, which counts as unemployed people without a job who have been actively seeking work in the last four weeks and