Unemployment in April rose by 0.2 percent across the European Union from the previous month to reach a rate of 6.6 percent. Figures by Eurostat indicate a similar month-on-month increase in the euro area with a rate of unemployment of 7.3 percent.
The number of unemployed persons in the EU grew by 397,000 in April, the second month of restrictive measures in most EU states. More than half of the increase was registered in the 19 countries that form the eurozone.
The rise was reflected in the youth unemployment rate which soared from 15.1 percent in March to 15.8 percent in April across the euro area. Although the rate was slightly lower across the EU27, the increase from 14.6 percent to 15.4 percent was more pronounced. Youth unemployment grew by almost 160,000 over the two months under review.
The unemployment rate among women rose by 0.1 percent in the EU to reach 6.8 percent in April but remained at a stable 7.6 percent in the euro area. Among men, the rate of unemployment increased from 6.1 percent to 6.4 percent in the EU and from 6.8 to 7.0 percent in the euro area.
