The euro area (EA15) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.8% in November 2008, compared with 7.7% in October. It was 7.2% in November 2007. The EU27 unemployment rate was 7.2% in November 2008, compared with 7.1% in October. It was 6.9% in November 2007.

Eurostat estimates that 17.466 million men and women in the EU27, of which 12.180 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in November 2008. Compared with October 2008, the number of persons unemployed increased by 274 000 in the EU27 and by 202 000 in the euro area. Compared with November 2007, unemployment went up by 1 134 000 in the EU27 and by 1 059 000 in the euro area.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in the Netherlands (2.7%), Austria (3.8%) and Cyprus (3.9%), and the highest in Spain (13.4%), Slovakia (9.1%) and Latvia (9.0%).

Compared with a year ago, thirteen Member States recorded a fall in their unemployment rate, and fourteen an increase. The largest falls were observed in Poland (8.5% to 6.5%) and Slovakia (10.5% to 9.1%), and the highest increases in Spain (8.6% to 13.4%) and Estonia (4.1% to 8.3%).

The unemployment rate for males increased from 6.5% to 7.4% between November 2007 and November 2008 in the euro area and from 6.3% to 7.0% in the EU27. The female unemployment rate increased from 8.2% to 8.3% in the euro area and remained stable at 7.5% in the EU27.

In November 2008, the youth unemployment rate (under-25s) was 16.4% in both the euro area and the EU27. In November 2007 it was 14.5% and 14.7% respectively. The lowest rates were observed in the Netherlands (5.4%) and Austria (6.9%), and the highest in Spain (29.4%) and Sweden (23.8%).

In November 2008, the unemployment rate was 6.7% in the USA and 3.9% in Japan.