Unemployment
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the European Union (EU27) in March 2009 was 8.3% compared to 6.7% in March 2008. The Eurozone (EA16) unemployment figure for January 2009 was 8.2% compared to 7.3% in January 2008. The unemployment rate (EU25) had previously declined in prior years from 8.9% in March 2005 to 8.4% in March 2006 to 7.3% in March 2007.
The rate varies widely by member state. There has been a steep upturn in the unemployment rate since 2008 due to the worldwide credit crunch and following recession. The countries within the EU which were most affected were Spain, Ireland and the Baltic countries with the unemployment rate doubling or in case of the Baltic countries nearly tripling. By comparison in March 2009 the United States had an unemployment rate of 8.6% (2008: 5.1; 2007: 4.4; 2006: 4.7) which was higher than the EU-27's unemployment rate but lower than the EU-16 Eurozone rate of 8.9%. Japan's unemployment rate remained comparatively steady at 4.4% (2008: 3.9; 2007: 4.0; 2006: 4.1). The following tables show the current unemployment rate of all Member States for March 2009 with comparisons to March 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 and comparisons to the United States and Japan:
| Unemployment | 2005-03 | 2006-03 | 2007-03 | 2008-03 | 2009-03 | 2010-03 | 2011-03 | 2012-03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 5.1 | 5.1 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.2 |
| Belgium | 8.4 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 7.2 |
| Denmark | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.7 |
| Finland | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 7.4 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 7.6 |
| France | 9.7 | 9.1 | 8.6 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 10.1 | 9.5 | 10.1 |
| Germany | 9.8 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 5.6 |
| Greece | 9.9 | 9.6 | 8.6 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 10.2 | 13.8 | 22.1 |
| Ireland | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 5.6 | 10.6 | 13.2 | 14.7 | 14.8 |
| Italy | 7.8 | 7.7 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 8.8 | 8.3 | 10.3 |
| Luxembourg | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 6.1 | 5.6 | 4.3 | 5.0 |
| Netherlands | 4.9 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| Portugal | 7.4 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 7.6 | 8.5 | 10.5 | 12.6 | 15.1 |
| Spain | 9.9 | 8.7 | 8.1 | 9.5 | 17.4 | 19.1 | 20.7 | 24.1 |
| Sweden | 6.3 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 8.0 | 8.7 | 7.7 | 7.3 |
| United Kingdom | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 8.1 |
| Bulgaria | 7.5 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 12.1 | ||
| Cyprus | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 10.7 |
| Czech Republic | 8.0 | 7.7 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 7.9 | 6.9 | 6.8 |
| Estonia | 8.8 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 11.1 | 15.5 | 14.3 | 10.6 |
| Hungary | 6.8 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.6 | 9.2 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 11.1 |
| Latvia | 9.1 | 7.6 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 16.1 | 22.3 | 16.2 | 15.4 |
| Lithuania | 9.2 | 6.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 15.1 | 15.8 | 16.3 | 13.6 |
| Malta | 7.2 | 8.1 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 6.3 | 6.1 |
| Poland | 18.0 | 16.8 | 10.3 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 9.1 | 9.3 | 9.9 |
| Romania | 6.6 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 7.2 | ||
| Slovakia | 16.7 | 15.7 | 11.3 | 9.9 | 10.5 | 14.1 | 14.0 | 13.7 |
| Slovenia | 6.4 | 6.2 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 8.1 |
| European Union | 8.9 | 8.4 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 8.3 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 10.3 |
| United States | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 8.5 | 9.7 | 8.8 | 8.2 |
| Japan | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.5 |
Read more about this topic: Economy Of The European Union
Famous quotes containing the word unemployment:
“Give a scientist a problem and he will probably provide a solution; historians and sociologists, by contrast, can offer only opinions. Ask a dozen chemists the composition of an organic compound such as methane, and within a short time all twelve will have come up with the same solution of CH4. Ask, however, a dozen economists or sociologists to provide policies to reduce unemployment or the level of crime and twelve widely differing opinions are likely to be offered.”
—Derek Gjertsen, British scientist, author. Science and Philosophy: Past and Present, ch. 3, Penguin (1989)
“... of all the aspects of social misery nothing is so heartbreaking as unemployment ...”
—Jane Addams (1860–1935)
“When a great many people are unable to find work, unemployment results.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)