ZAGREB, 5 March (Hina) - Unemployment in the euro area and the EU remained stable in January 2025, while in Croatia, it saw a slight decline, staying well below the European average, according to a Eurostat report.
In the 20-member euro area, the unemployment rate, measured using the methodology of the International Labour Organization (ILO), stood at 6.2% in January, the same as in December 2024. At the EU level, it also remained stable compared to December, when it stood at 5.8%. A year-on-year comparison shows a 0.3 percentage point drop in both areas.
Eurostat estimates 12.82 million people in the EU were unemployed in January, nearly 10.66 million of them in the euro area. Compared to the previous month, the number of unemployed people fell by 42,000 in the euro area and by 8,000 in the EU. Compared to January 2024, the number of unemployed people was 547,000 lower in the euro area and 510,000 lower in the EU.
Spain was the only country in January with a double-digit unemployment rate, at 10.4%. Sweden ranked second, with an 8.9% unemployment rate, pushing Greece to third place, where unemployment stood at 8.7%, the same as in Finland.
In Croatia, the ILO-measured unemployment rate was 4.5% in January, 0.1 percentage points lower than in December. The total number of unemployed people stood at 80,000, 1,000 fewer than in December. Compared to January 2024, the number of the unemployed decreased by 17,000.
The lowest unemployment rates in January were recorded in Czechia and Poland, both at 2.6%. They were followed by Malta (3%), Slovenia (3.3%) and Germany, the largest economy, where the ILO-measured unemployment rate stood at 3.5%.
Youth unemployment
Among people under 25, the euro area unemployment rate was 14.1% in January, 0.1 percentage points lower than in December. Compared to January 2024, it decreased by 0.7 percentage points. At the EU level, the youth unemployment rate stood at 14.6%, unchanged from December. Compared to January 2024, it fell by 0.2 percentage points.
Eurostat estimates nearly 2.9 million young people were unemployed in the EU in January, of whom almost 2.3 million were in the euro area. On a monthly basis, the number of unemployed young people rose by 3,000 in the euro area and 17,000 in the EU. Compared to January 2024, youth unemployment fell by 93,000 in the euro area and by 36,000 in the EU.
As in previous months, Spain had the highest youth unemployment rate in January, at 25.3%, followed by Sweden with 24.7%.
Only Germany and the Netherlands recorded single-digit youth unemployment rates, at 6.4% and 8.9%, respectively.
Croatia, Belgium, Cyprus, Romania and Slovenia publish quarterly youth unemployment data.
In Q4 2024, Croatia’s youth unemployment rate stood at 16.1%. In the last three months of 2024, there were 19,000 unemployed young people, 1,000 fewer than in July–September.
