Unemployment continues to drop across EU while rising in Lithuania

From December 2015 to January 2016, unemployment across the Euro zone fell modestly from 10.4 to 10.3 percent despite predictions that it would not change. Unemployment is now the lowest it has been since August 2011. Across the European Union, unemployment fell from 9 to 8.9 percent, putting at its lowest point since May 2009.

In Lithuania, however, unemployment moved in the opposite direction, growing from 8.9 to 9 percent. Youth unemployment in Lithuania rose from 13.9 to 14.4 percent while dropping from 19.8 to 19.7 percent across the EU. One year ago, Lithuania’s unemployment was at 9.4 percent, with 11.3 percent across the Eurozone. Lithuania’s youth unemployment was at 18.6 percent, with 22.8 percent in the Eurozone and 21 percent across the EU.

The lowest unemployment in Europe could be found in Germany (4.3 percent), the Czech Republic (4.5 percent), and Malta (5.1 percent). The largest unemployment rates were in Southern Europe, with Greece at 24.6 percent and Spain at 20.5 percent.

Alfa.lt