Euro-zone seasonally-adjusted unemployment stood at 8.9 per cent in December 2004, compared to 8.8 per cent in November, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, reported. It was also 8.9 per cent in December 2003. The EU25 unemployment rate was 8.9 per cent in December 2004, unchanged compared to November. It was 9.1 per cent in December 2003.

In December 2004, the lowest rates were registered in Ireland (4.3 per cent), Luxembourg (4.4 per cent), Austria (4.5 per cent), the United Kingdom (4.6 per cent in October) and the Netherlands (4.7 per cent in November). Unemployment rates were highest in Poland (18.3 per cent), Slovakia (16.9 per cent), Greece (10.5 per cent in June), Spain (10.4 per cent) and Germany (10 per cent).

Among the Member States for which recent data are available, nine recorded an increase in their unemployment rate over a year, 12 a decrease and two remained unchanged. The Netherlands (4.1 per cent in November 2003 to 4.7 per cent in November 2004), Cyprus (4.8 per cent to 5.5 per cent) Luxembourg (4.0 per cent to 4.4 per cent) and Hungary (5.8 per cent to 6.2 per cent) registered the highest relative increases, while the largest relative decreases were observed in Lithuania (12.0 per cent to 9.4 per cent), Estonia (10.0 per cent to 8.3 per cent) and Malta (7.9 per cent in November 2003 to 6.9 per cent in November 2004).

In December 2004 compared to December 2003, the unemployment rate for males was unchanged at 7.9 per cent in the euro-zone and fell from 8.3 per cent to 8.2 per cent in the EU25. The female unemployment rate decreased from 10.3 per cent to 10.1 per cent in the euro-zone and from 10.0 per cent to 9.8 per cent in the EU25.

In December 2004, the unemployment rate for under-25s was 17.3 per cent in the euro-zone and 18.1 per cent in the EU25. In December 2003 it was 17.0 per cent and 18.2 per cent respectively. The lowest rates for under-25s were observed in Denmark (7.5 per cent), the Netherlands (7.7 per cent in November) and Ireland (eight per cent), and the highest in Poland (37.9 per cent), Slovakia (29.8 per cent), Greece (27.1 per cent in June) and Italy (24.8 per cent in June).

Eurostat estimates that, in December 2004, 12.6 million men and women were unemployed in the euro-zone and 19.0 million in the EU25. These are seasonally-adjusted figures in line with ILO criteria.

In December 2004, the US unemployment rate was 5.4 per cent while the Japanese rate was 4.4 per cent.