Unemployment in May saw a slight rise in the eurozone, edging up to 6.3% from 6.2% in April, according to seasonal adjustments. Compared year-on-year, the rate fell modestly from 6.4% in May last year. Meanwhile, across the wider EU, unemployment held steady at 5.9%, maintaining the same level as in April and down from 6% a year earlier.

In Bulgaria, the unemployment rate increased marginally to 3.5% in May from 3.4% the previous month, though it remains below the 4% recorded in May last year. The number of unemployed individuals in the country stood at 106,000 - 3,000 more than in April, but 17,000 fewer than in May 2024.

Overall, estimates show around 13 million people were unemployed across the EU in May, including nearly 11 million in the euro area. Compared to April, unemployment rose by 48,000 in the EU and 54,000 in the eurozone. Yet when compared with May 2024, there was a decrease of 23,000 in the EU and 168,000 in the euro area.

Looking at youth unemployment, roughly 2.86 million people under 25 were without work in the EU, of which about 2.28 million were in the eurozone. The youth unemployment rate ticked up to 14.8% from 14.7% in the EU, and to 14.4% from 14.3% in the euro area compared to the previous month. This reflected an increase of 9,000 unemployed young people in the EU and 13,000 in the eurozone since April. Compared to a year earlier, youth unemployment rose by 3,000 in the EU but declined by 36,000 in the euro area.

Gender breakdown for May shows the unemployment rate for women in the EU remained at 6.1%, while for men it stayed at 5.7%. In the eurozone, the female unemployment rate was steady at 6.5%, with the male rate increasing slightly to 6.1% from 6.0% the month before.

Source: Eurostat