In 2024, the unemployment rate for 15-74 years old in the EU fell to 5.9% of the labour force, marking a historic low since the beginning of the time series in 2009.
The long-term unemployment rate, as a percentage of the labour force, was 1.9% in 2024. This was similarly the lowest level in the entire available time series.
Among the EU countries, Greece recorded the highest long-term unemployment rate, at 5.4%, followed by Spain (3.8%) and Slovakia (3.5%). By contrast, the Netherlands (0.5%), Malta (0.7%), and Czechia, Denmark and Poland (all at 0.8%) had the lowest rates.
15% of young people unemployed
Regarding young people aged 15 to 24 years, the unemployment rate was 14.9%, up 0.4 percentage points (pp) compared with 2023. For other age groups, the unemployment rates were much lower in 2024 and slightly declining compared with the previous year. For those aged 25-54, the unemployment rate was 5.4%, (down 0.1 pp), while it was 4.1% for those aged 55-74 (down 0.2 pp). The overall unemployment rate among individuals aged 15 to 74 declined by 0.2 pp from 6.1% in 2023 to 5.9% in 2024. (....)