The euro area (EA15) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stood at 7.5% in August 2008, compared with 7.4% in July3. It was 7.4% in August 2007. The EU27 unemployment rate was 6.9% in August 2008, unchanged compared with July. It was 7.1% in August 2007.

Eurostat estimates that 16.572 million men and women in the EU27, of which 11.596 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in August 2008. Compared with July 2008, the number of persons unemployed increased by 67 000 in the EU27 and by 90 000 in the euro area. Compared with August 2007, unemployment fell by 225 000 in the EU27 but rose by 272 000 in the euro area.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were registered in the Netherlands (2.6%) and Denmark (2.9% in July 2008), and the highest in Spain (11.3%) and Slovakia (9.9%).

Compared with a year ago, nineteen Member States recorded a fall in their unemployment rate and eight an increase. The largest fall was observed in Poland (9.2% to 6.7%), and the highest increase in Spain (8.3% to 11.3%).

The unemployment rate for males increased from 6.6% to 6.8% between August 2007 and August 2008 in the euro area and remained stable at 6.5% in the EU27. The female unemployment rate declined from 8.4% to 8.3% in the euro area and from 7.7% to 7.4% in the EU27.

In August 2008, the youth unemployment rate (under-25s) was 14.9% in both the euro area and the EU27. In August 2007 it was 14.6% and 15.2% respectively. The lowest rates were observed in the Netherlands (4.9%) and Austria (6.3%), and the highest in Spain (24.6%) and Greece (21.4% in the second quarter 2008).

In August 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.1% in the USA and 4.2% in Japan.