2026.01.3010:11:09UTC+00Eurozone Jobless Rate Unexpectedly Edges Down to 6.2%

In December 2025, the Euro Area observed a slight decrease in its seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, which fell to 6.2% for the second consecutive month. This matches the record low seen in late 2024, and it is a reduction from November's 6.3%. Economists had predicted the rate would hold steady at 6.3%. The number of unemployed individuals reduced by 61,000 compared to the previous month, dropping to 10.792 million. Additionally, the youth unemployment rate, indicating those under 25 looking for jobs, fell slightly to 14.3% from a revised 14.4% in the prior month. Within the bloc's major economies, Germany (3.8%) and the Netherlands (4%) posted the lowest unemployment rates, whereas Spain (10%), France (7.7%), and Italy (5.6%) exhibited the highest rates. A year earlier, the unemployment rate was just marginally higher, at 6.3%. Across the broader European Union, the unemployment rate maintained its steadiness for the second month, remaining at 5.9%.