Unemployment remains low in the region

In September, the euro area seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 6.3%, stable compared with the previous month and down from 6.6% in September 2023. The EU unemployment rate was 5.9% in September, also stable compared with August and down from 6.1% in September 2023. As far as region is concerned, the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% in September (form 4.1% in August). Nevertheless, it is also lower compared to one year ago when unemployment rate was at 4.4% (September 2023). In the region the unemployment moves in a close range between 4.1%-4.2% throughout the whole 2024. Such development can be observed despite rather sluggish recovery. The lowest unemployment rate is in Czechia (2.8%) and in Poland (2.9%) while the highest in Slovakia (5.2%) and in Romania (5.5%). In most of the CEE countries unemployment rate has been moving sideways. Over the year, it ticked slightly up in Czechia and Hungary. The most notable exception is, however, Croatia where unemployment rate went more visibly down within a year from 6.0% in September 2023 to 4.8% in September 2024.