LUXEMBOURG / EuroWire / — The euro area unemployment rate stood at 6.3% in April 2026, unchanged from March and from April 2025, as the currency bloc’s labour market held steady on a seasonally adjusted basis. Eurostat said the broader European Union unemployment rate was 6.0% in April, also stable from the previous month and the same month a year earlier, keeping the headline indicators little changed across both the 21-member euro area and the 27-member EU.
The number of people unemployed declined from March despite the unchanged rates. The EU had 13.238 million unemployed people in April, including 11.075 million in the euro area. Compared with March, unemployment fell by 137,000 in the EU and by 84,000 in the euro area. On an annual basis, the number of unemployed people was higher by 82,000 in the EU and by 45,000 in the euro area.
Country figures showed wide differences across the bloc. Spain recorded the highest unemployment rate among large euro area economies at 10.3%, followed by France at 8.2%. Italy’s rate was 5.1%, while Germany stood at 3.8% and the Netherlands at 3.9%, with Dutch April data marked as provisional. Finland posted a 10.6% rate, the highest listed among EU members, while Bulgaria had one of the lowest rates at 2.8%.
EU youth joblessness declines
Youth unemployment eased in April across both the EU and the euro area. Among people under 25, 2.913 million were unemployed in the EU, including 2.337 million in the euro area. The youth unemployment rate fell to 15.1% in the EU from 15.6% in March and to 14.7% in the euro area from 15.1%. Compared with March, youth unemployment decreased by 91,000 in the EU and by 50,000 in the euro area.
The annual comparison for younger workers was mixed with the monthly improvement. Youth unemployment was higher than in April 2025 by 22,000 in the EU and by 13,000 in the euro area. Germany reported a youth unemployment rate of 7.2%, while Spain stood at 28.8% in March, with April data not available in the table. Finland’s youth unemployment rate was 22.2%, while Sweden recorded 24.4%.
Women’s rate edges lower
Unemployment by sex also moved lower in parts of the April data. In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women was 6.5%, down from 6.6% in March, while the rate for men was 6.0%, down from 6.1%. Across the EU, women’s unemployment declined to 6.2% from 6.3%, while men’s unemployment was unchanged at 5.8%. Eurostat defines unemployed people as those without work who are available to start and have recently sought employment.
The April release also revised the March euro area unemployment rate to 6.3% from the previously published 6.2%, while the EU rate for March remained unchanged at 6.0%. The data are based on harmonised unemployment measures using the International Labour Organisation standard and the European Union Labour Force Survey. The next monthly unemployment release is scheduled for July 2, covering May 2026 labour market conditions.