Young people under 25: In Greece 1 in 3 are unemployed – Double the EU rate

In December 2021, the euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 7.0%, down from 7.1% in November 2021 and from 8.2% in December 2020. The EU unemployment rate was 6.4% in December 2021, down from 6.5% in November 2021 and from 7.5% in December 2020. These figures are published by Eurostat,
the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 13.612 million men and women in the EU, of whom 11.481 million in the euro area, were unemployed in December 2021. Compared with November 2021, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 210 000 in the EU and by 185 000 in the euro area. Compared with December 2020, unemployment decreased by 2.196 million in the EU and by 1.828 million in the euro area.

In Greece, the unemployment rate remains much higher than the European average, reaching 12.7% from 13.3% in November. This is the second highest unemployment rate after Spain, which stands at 13%.

Youth unemployment

In December 2021, 2.748 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2.222 million were in the euro area. In December 2021, the youth unemployment rate was 14.9% in both the EU and the euro area, down from 15.3% in the EU and from 15.4% in the euro area in the previous month. Compared with November 2021, youth unemployment decreased by 81 000 in the EU and by 78 000 in the euro area. Compared with December 2020, youth unemployment decreased by 385 000 in the EU and by 323 000 in the euro area.

In Greece, although the percentage of unemployed under the age of 25 recorded a significant drop of 6.5 percentage points, it is twice the European average. This percentage stands at 30.5%, from 37% in November. Our country has marginally the second worst percentage in this category of unemployed, after Spain which records a percentage of 30.6%.

Unemployment by sex

In December 2021, the unemployment rate for women was 6.6% in the EU, down from 6.8% in November 2021. The unemployment rate for men was 6.1% in December 2021, down from 6.2% in November 2021. In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women decreased from 7.5% in November 2021 to 7.3% in December 2021, while the unemployment rate for men decreased from 6.8% to 6.7%