OREANDA-NEWS. The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 11.0% in August 2015, stable compared to July 2015, and down from 11.5% in August 2014. The EU28 unemployment rate was 9.5% in August 2015, also stable compared to July 2015, and down from 10.1% in August 2014. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 23.022 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 17.603 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in August 2015. Compared with July 2015, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 33 000 in the EU28 and by 1 000 in the euro area. Compared with August 2014, unemployment fell by 1.490 million in the EU28 and by 892 000 in the euro area.

Member States
Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates in August 2015 were recorded in Germany (4.5%), the Czech Republic (5.0%) and Malta (5.1%), and the highest in Greece (25.2% in June 2015) and Spain (22.2%).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate in August 2015 fell in twenty-three Member States, increased in four and remained stable in Romania. The largest decreases were registered in Estonia (8.0% to 5.7% between July 2014 and July 2015), Slovakia (from 13.2% to 11.1%), Spain (24.2% to 22.2%), Bulgaria (11.4% to 9.7%), Ireland (11.1% to 9.5%) and Poland (8.7% to 7.2%). The increases were registered in Austria (5.6% to 5.7%), Belgium (8.6% to 8.8%), France (10.4% to 10.8%) and Finland (8.8% to 9.7%).

In August 2015, the unemployment rate in the United States was 5.1%, down from 5.3% in July 2015 and from 6.1% in August 2014.