Euro area unemployment holds at 6.4% in August as Austria's rate jumps to 6.7%

Eurostat published the euro area's August unemployment figures on 1 October 2026. The seasonally adjusted rate was 6.4%, unchanged from July and up from 6.3% in August 2025. It has been 6.4% in each month from May to August.

The headline figures

• Euro area: 6.4%, with 11.357 million people unemployed, 26,000 more than in July and 267,000 more than a year earlier
• EU: 6.1%, with 13.600 million people unemployed, 12,000 more than in July and 348,000 more than a year earlier
• Women: 6.7% in the euro area (6.4% in the EU)
• Men: 6.2% in the euro area (5.9% in the EU)
• Under-25s: 15.0% in the euro area, down from 15.1% in July, and 15.4% in the EU, up from 15.3%

Country by country

Among euro area members the highest rates in August were in Finland (10.3%) and Spain (10.0%), followed by France (8.2%, from 8.3% in July) and Estonia (8.0%). The lowest were in Malta and Slovenia (both 3.4%). Germany was at 4.0% on Eurostat's international definition, unchanged from July.

Two moves stood out. Austria's rate rose to 6.7% from 6.2% in July, and Italy's rose to 6.2% from 6.0%. Greece went the other way, falling to 7.4% from 7.9%, and Spain was steady at 10.0%.

Eurostat's figures use the International Labour Organization definition, which counts people without a job who have looked for work in the past four weeks and could start within two weeks. That is why Germany's 4.0% here differs from the 6.4% registered-unemployment rate the German labour agency publishes (report).

Why it matters for the euro

A jobless rate that has held at 6.4% for four months, with employment still large, is one reason the European Central Bank can concentrate on prices. Euro area inflation reached 3.8% in the September flash estimate, with energy up 18.8% on the year (report), and the ECB raised its deposit rate to 2.50% on 10 September (report). The labour market is not forcing the Bank's hand in either direction.

The next unemployment release, for September, is due on 30 October, the day after the ECB's October decision. Eurostat publishes third-quarter labour force survey data, including broader measures of slack, on 11 December. Live prices: EUR/USD.