The unemployment rate in the eurozone remained unchanged in May, standing at 6.2%, the lowest figure in the entire historical series. In the European Union as a whole, unemployment also remained at 5.9%, one tenth above the minimum recorded in 2024, according to figures released by Eurostat.
According to the community's statistical office, in the fifth month of 2026 there were 13.16 million people without work in the EU, of which 10.98 million corresponded to the eurozone countries.
These figures imply a monthly reduction of 40,000 unemployed people in the EU as a whole and 55,000 in the eurozone. Compared to May of the previous year, the number of unemployed people was reduced by 82,000 people in the Twenty-seven and by 158,000 within the monetary union.
Among the Member States, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in Finland, with 10.6%; Spain, with 10.3%; and France, with 8.2%. At the opposite end, the lowest rates were in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, both with 2.9%; and in Poland and Cyprus, with 3.1% each.
Regarding youth unemployment, among those under 25 years of age, the EU unemployment rate rose slightly to 15.2% from the previous 15.1%, while in the eurozone it remained at 14.7%.
In absolute terms, the number of young people without employment in the EU stood at 2.91 million, of which 2.31 million resided in the eurozone countries.
In Spain, in May 2026, 2.59 million unemployed people were counted, of which 452,000 were under 25 years of age. Thus, the youth unemployment rate reached 23.7%, the third highest in the community bloc, only surpassed by Sweden (24.4%) and Finland (23.9%).
