European unemployment remained unvaried in April. According to Eurostat data, the levels are stable both in the Eurozone (8%) and in the EU-25 (8.3%). The reduction over the same period of the previous year is respectively 0.7% and 0.6%. The classification is led by Holland (3.8%), followed by Denmark and Ireland, both with an unemployment rate of 4.3%. At the opposite end of the spectrum, in spite of a slight improvement, are Poland (16.5%), Slovakia (15.5%) and Greece (9.6%). On an annualised basis, the best results were achieved by Estonia (down from 8.3% to 5.1%), Lithuania (from 9.2% al 6%) and Holland (from 4.9% to 3.8%): the situation of Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, the UK and Luxembourg on the other hand has worsened. The number of unemployed below the age of 25 is also falling, equivalent to 18% in the EU-25 and 17.1% in the Eurozone. But the unemployment record in the EU continues to lag far behind that of its direct competitors: in the USA it stands at 4.7%, in Japan just over 4%. For further information, consult the website a target=’_blanck’ href=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostathttp://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
