In May 2022, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 6.6%, down from 6.7% in April 2022 and down from 8.1% in May 2021. The EU unemployment rate was 6.1% in May 2022, stable compared with April 2022 and down from 7.3% in May 2021. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 13.066 million men and women in the EU, of whom 11.004 million in the euro area, were unemployed in May 2022. Compared with May 2021, unemployment decreased by 2.515 million in the EU and by 2.165 million in the euro area.

Youth unemployment

In May 2022, 2.467 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 1.988 million were in the euro area. In May 2022, the youth unemployment rate was 13.3% in the EU and 13.1% in the euro area, down from 13.8% in both areas in the previous month. Compared with April 2022, youth unemployment decreased by 95 thousand in the EU and by 89 thousand in the euro area. Compared with May 2021, youth unemployment decreased by 708 thousand in the EU and by 608 thousand in the euro area.

Unemployment by sex

In May 2022, the unemployment rate for women was 6.5% in the EU, stable compared with April 2022. The unemployment rate for men was 5.7% in May 2022, also stable compared with the previous month. In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women decreased from 7.2% in April 2022 to 7.1% in May 2022, while the unemployment rate for men decreased from 6.3% to 6.2%.