Source: CNA
In December 2021 seasonally-adjusted unemployment rates dropped to 7.0% and 6.4% in the eurozone and the EU respectively, recording a slight decrease compared to November and more significantly compared to last year, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
Cyprus also saw a reduction in its unemployment rate compared to December 2020, dropping to 6.4%. However, the country’s unemployment rate remained unchanged between November and December 2021.
The euro area unemployment rate fell to 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.
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.
The unemployment rate in Cyprus remained unchanged in December, since it was also at 6.4% in November, having previously dropped slightly from 6.6% in October 2021.
However, the unemployment rate in Cyprus dropped when compared with December 2020 when it stood at 8.0%.
The number of unemployed in Cyprus remained at 30 thousand in December compared to November but dropped by 6 thousand compared to last December when the figure stood at 36 thousand.
Regarding 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 thousand in the EU and by 78 thousand in the euro area.
Compared with December 2020, youth unemployment decreased by 385 thousand in the EU and by 323 thousand in the euro area.
In Cyprus, the youth unemployment rate stood at 15.1% in December 2021, same as November 2021, having dropped compared to December 2020 when it stood at 19.9%.
About 6 thousand young people were unemployed in November and December 2021, having dropped by about one thousand people compared with December 2020 when the figure stood at 7 thousand.
Comparing the state of unemployment between men and women, Eurostat notes that 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%.
In Cyprus, the unemployment rate for women in December 2021 stood at 6.8% (compared to November when it stood at 6.5% and December 2020 when it stood at 7.9%) and for men the rate stood at 6.0% (compared to November when it stood at 6.3% and December 2020 when it stood at 8.2%).
