Long term unemployment is still rising: 10½ million are now long term unemployed

Policy Study

The latest unemployment statistics from Eurostat show that unemployment within the EU-27 now is beyond 25 million corresponding to an unemployment rate of 10.4 percent of the total workforce in EU-27. From April 2010 to March 2011 unemployment had a slightly decreasing tendency but has since increased with 2½ million people. To make matters worse long term unemployment is also rising so that now 10½ million people are long term unemployed. More than four out of ten unemployed have been without a job for a year or longer. The rise in the long term unemployment is a warning that unemployment within the EU-27 – which is at its highest level in 12 years – will stay high in the coming years. If that happens it will become even more difficult to create growth and healthy public finances within the EU.

Read the report by Erik Bjørsted for FEPS & the Economic Council of the Labour Movement (ECLM)