Monthly data
Data up to June 2026
Planned article update: 1 September 2026
Highlights
Euro area unemployment at 6.3% in June 2026.
EU unemployment at 6.0% in June 2026.
This article presents the very latest unemployment figures for the European Union (EU), the euro area and individual EU countries. Additional information about long-term trends can be found in the article Unemployment statistics and beyond.
Unemployment in the EU and the euro area
Eurostat estimates that 13 317 million people in the EU[1], of whom 11 130 million in the euro area (EA)[2], were unemployed in June 2026. Compared with May 2026, unemployment increased by 79 000 in the EU and by 71 000 in the euro area. Compared with June 2025, unemployment increased by 112 000 in the EU and by 43 000 in the euro area.
,_seasonally_adjusted,_January_2011_-_June_2026.png)
Source: Eurostat (une_rt_m)
In June 2026, the euro area seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3%, stable compared with May 2026 as well as with June 2025. The EU unemployment rate was 6.0% in June 2026, also stable compared with May 2026 as well as with June 2025.
Source: Eurostat (une_rt_m)
Youth unemployment
In June 2026, 2 987 million young people (under 25 years) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2 351 million were in the euro area. In June 2026, the youth unemployment rate was 15.5% in the EU, up from 15.4% in the previous month, and 14.8% in the euro area, down from 14.9% in May 2026. Compared with May 2026, youth unemployment increased by 29 000 in the EU, while it remained unchanged in the euro area. Compared with June 2025, youth unemployment increased by 53 000 in the EU and decreased by 8 000 in the euro area.
Source: Eurostat (une_rt_m)
Unemployment by sex
In June 2026, the unemployment rate for women was 6.1% in the EU, down from 6.2% in May 2026, and the unemployment rate for men was 5.9%, up from 5.8% in the previous month. In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women was 6.4%, stable compared with May 2026, and the unemployment rate for men was 6.2%, up from 6.1% in the previous month.
Registered unemployment of refugees from Ukraine
After the outbreak of Russian aggression in Ukraine in February 2022, people fleeing the war have been given temporary protection in the EU under the EU Temporary Protection scheme. The rights for beneficiaries of the scheme include access to employment, subject to rules applicable to the profession and to national labour market policies and general conditions of employment.
Eurostat invited EU countries and EFTA countries to provide data on people fleeing the war in Ukraine with respect to their situation on the labour market. In particular, monthly data were collected on those refugees that are registered as unemployed in the national public employment services.
Since April 2022, a significant number of countries have been able to provide data on registered unemployed refugees. The data coverage comprised up to 19 EU countries and Switzerland for April and May 2026, while for June 2026 data were not yet available for some of those countries. In general, data are available for border countries with Ukraine and the largest EU countries, except Italy, although the coverage varies over the months. The data only cover people registered in the national public employment services and not necessarily all people seeking a job at a certain point in time.
Below, an analysis of the currently available data is presented.
-June26.png)
Source: Eurostat unpublished data
As shown in Figures 4 and 5 the results are as follows:
- In June 2026, 256 000 refugees from Ukraine benefiting from the EU Temporary Protection scheme were registered as unemployed in the 18 countries that provided such data to Eurostat
- In May 2026, 264 000 refugees from Ukraine benefiting from the EU Temporary Protection scheme were registered as unemployed in the 20 countries that provided such data to Eurostat
- In April 2026, 272 000 refugees from Ukraine benefiting from the EU Temporary Protection scheme were registered as unemployed in the 20 countries that provided such data to Eurostat
- Most countries provided not only total numbers, but also information on age and sex. Of the registered unemployed refugees from Ukraine in June 2026 for whom information on age and sex was available, 142 000 were women aged 25 years and over, while 70 000 were men aged 25 years and over (see Figure 5). Moreover, 41 000 people under the age of 25 years were registered as unemployed in June 2026.
-June26.png)
Source: Eurostat unpublished data
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
These estimates are based on the globally used International Labour Organisation (ILO) standard definition of unemployment, which counts as unemployed people without a job who have been actively seeking work in the last 4 weeks and are available to start work within the next 2 weeks.
To capture in full the labour market situation, the data on unemployment have been complemented by additional indicators, e.g. underemployed part-time workers, people seeking work but not immediately available and people available to work but not seeking, released together with EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) data for Q1 2026. EU-LFS data for Q2 2026 will be released on 11 September 2026.
An unemployed person is defined by Eurostat, according to the guidelines of the International Labour Organization, as someone aged 15-74 years without work during the reference week who is available to start work within the next 2 weeks and who has actively sought employment at some time during the last 4 weeks. The unemployment rate is the number of people unemployed as a percentage of the labour force.
In addition to the unemployment measures covered here, Eurostat also publishes statistics for people who fulfil only partially the definition of unemployment. These people are not included in the official ILO unemployment concept and have a varying degree of attachment to the labour market. The indicators on Labour market slack - employment supply and demand mismatch supplement the unemployment rate to provide a more complete picture of the labour market.
The quarterly EU-LFS results are always used as a benchmark to ensure international comparability. As for most Member States the results from the EU-LFS for a full quarter are available 75 days after the end of the reference period, the most recent figures are usually provisional. For many countries monthly unemployment data are calculated by Eurostat, while several countries actually supply those figures directly from the EU-LFS.
The following EU-LFS data are used in the calculations of the monthly unemployment rates published in this article:
- For Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Sweden as well as Norway: monthly EU-LFS data up to and including June 2026.
- For Estonia and Portugal: monthly data (3 month moving average) up to and including May, June and July 2026.
- For Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Ireland, Cyprus, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia: quarterly data up and including Q1 2026.
- For Spain: quarterly data up and including Q2 2026.
Monthly unemployment and employment series are calculated first at the level of 4 categories for each Member State (males and females 15-24 years, males and females 25-74 years). These series are then seasonally adjusted and all the national and European aggregates are calculated. Monthly unemployment figures are published by Eurostat as rates (as a percentage of the labour force) or levels (in thousands), by gender and for 2 age groups (people aged 15-24 years, and those aged 25-74 years). The figures are available as unadjusted, seasonally adjusted and trend series. There are monthly estimates for all EU Member States. Data for the EU aggregate start in 2000 and for the euro area in April 1998; the starting point for individual Member States varies.
Member States may publish other rates such as register-based unemployment rates, or rates based on the national LFS or corresponding surveys. These rates may vary from those published by Eurostat due to a different definition or methodological choices.
The figures on registered unemployment of refugees from Ukraine are purely register-based unemployment data. Countries' definitions may differ.
Countries providing data on unemployed refugees from Ukraine registered in public employment services per month in the last 12 reference months (see country codes):
Jun 2025: AT, BE, BG, CY, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
July 2025: AT, BE, BG, CY, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Aug 2025: AT, BE, BG, CY, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Sept 2025: AT, BE, BG, CY, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Oct 2025: AT, BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, LU, LV, LT, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Nov 2025: AT, BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Dec 2025: AT, BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Jan 2026: AT, BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Feb 2026: AT, BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Mar 2026: AT, BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Apr 2026: BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
May 2026: BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, FR, FI, HR, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK, CH
Jun 2026: BE, BG, DE, DK, EL, ES, Fi, HR, IE, LV, LT, LU, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, CH
Context
The unemployment rate is an important indicator with both social and economic dimensions. Rising unemployment results in a loss of income for individuals, increased pressure with respect to government spending on social benefits and a reduction in tax revenue. From an economic perspective, unemployment may be viewed as unused labour capacity.
The International Labour Organization definition of the unemployment rate is the most widely used labour market indicator because of its international comparability and relatively timely availability. Besides the unemployment rate, indicators such as employment and job vacancies also give useful insights into labour market developments.
The time series on unemployment are used by the European Commission, other public institutions, and the media as an economic indicator; banks may use the data for business cycle analysis. Finally, the general public might also be interested in changes in unemployment.
The unemployment rate is considered to be a lagging indicator. When there is an economic downturn, it usually takes several months before the unemployment rate begins to rise. Once the economy starts to pick up again, employers usually remain cautious about hiring new staff and it may take several months before unemployment rates start to fall.
Male, youth and long-term unemployment appear to be more susceptible to cyclical economic changes than overall unemployment. Indeed, social policymakers often face the challenge of remedying these situations by designing ways to increase employment opportunities for various groups of society, those working in particular economic activities, or those living in specific regions.
The EU is committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and pursues progress towards them together with EU priorities, including employment targets on the EU level. Unemployment rates (of youth) are targeted via a range of policies, including proposals aimed at education and training institutions, or measures for the creation of a (work) environment conducive to higher activity rates and higher labour productivity. There are also initiatives aimed at improving the entry rate of young people into the labour market.
Footnotes
- In line with Eurostat's guidelines for disseminating data when the EU is enlarged, aggregate data series in this article refer to the official composition of the EU in the most recent month for which data are available; from February 2020 onwards this is the EU with 27 Member States, (EU). ↑
- In line with Eurostat's guidelines for disseminating data when the euro area is enlarged, aggregate data series in this article refer to the official composition of the euro area in the most recent month for which data are available; from the reference month of January 2026 onwards this is the euro area with 21 countries (EA21). (EA). ↑
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Other articles
Database
- LFS main indicators (lfsi)
- Unemployment - LFS adjusted series (une)
- LFS series - detailed quarterly survey results (from 1998)
- Total unemployment - LFS series (lfsq_unemp)
- LFS series - Detailed annual survey results (lfsa)
- Total unemployment - LFS series (lfsa_unemp)
- LFS main indicators (t_lfsi)
- Unemployment - LFS adjusted series (t_une)
- LFS series - detailed annual survey results (t_lfsa)
- Unemployment rates of the population aged 25-64 years by level of education (tps00066)