Unemployment rate in the EU at a climax

Some of the EU countries were hardly affected by the economical crisis, especially the high unemployment rates are one of Europe`s main concern. Spain and the Baltic states are those countries with the highest unemployment rate.

The highest unemployment rates for 2009 in the EU were registered with 18% in Spain and 17,6 in Latvia. But also Hungary, Ireland as well as Estonia and Lithuania had unemployment rates of more than 10%. The lowest rates in the European Union were registered last year in Austria with 5% and in the Netherlands with 3,5%.

In December 2009 the EU unemployment rate was with 9,6% at its height since the beginning of the time series in 2000. In absolute numbers this rate meant that about 23 million Europeans were looking for a job. For the whole year 2009 the unemployment rate in the EU 27 lied at about 8,9%.