Data published by Eurostat showed that in January the unemployment rate fell to 6.8% compared with 7% in December, while economists had expected unemployment to fall to only 6.9%. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in the European Union countries fell to 6.2% from 6.3%.
Eurostat reported that in January the number of unemployed in the eurozone decreased by 214,000 compared to December 2021, to 11.225 million. In annual terms, the number of unemployed in the eurozone decreased by 2.117 million.
The data also showed that in January the unemployment rate among young people (under 25) decreased to 13.9% compared to 14.2% in December. The number of unemployed among young people decreased to 52,000 compared to December, to 2.038 million. Meanwhile, in annual terms, the number of unemployed among young people decreased by 589,000.
The unemployment rate among women fell to 7.1% from 7.2% in December, while the unemployment rate among men fell to 6.6% from 6.7%.