April 2015 Euro area annual inflation up to 0.0%

USPA NEWS - Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 0.0% in April 2015, up from -0.1% in March, according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Unemployment rate at 11.3%

Looking at the main components of euro area inflation, services (0.9%, compared with 1.0% in March) andfood, alcohol & tobacco (0.9%, compared with 0.6% in March) are expected to have the highest annual rates in April, followed by non-energy industrial goods (0.1%, compared with 0.0% in March) and energy (-5.8%, compared with -6.0% in March), according Eurostat.

Euro area unemployment rate at 11.3%

The euro area (EA19) seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 11.3% in March 2015, stable compared with February 2015, but down from 11.7% in March 2014. The EU28 unemployment rate was 9.8% in March 2015, stable compared with February 2015 and down from 10.4% in March 2014. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 23.748 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 18.105 million in the euro area, were unemployed in March 2015. Compared with February 2015, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 75 000 in the EU28 and by 36 000 in the euro area. Compared with March 2014, unemployment fell by 1.523 million in the EU28 and by 679 000 in the euro area.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rate in March 2015 was recorded in Germany (4.7%), and the highest in Greece (25.7% in January 2015) and Spain (23.0%). Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate in March 2015 fell in twenty-two Member States, increased in five and remained stable in Austria. The largest decreases were registered in Ireland (12.0% to 9.8%), Spain (25.1% to 23.0%) and Poland (9.6% to 7.7%). The increases were registered in Croatia (17.3% to 18.2%), Finland (8.4% to 9.1%), Italy (12.4% to 13.0%), France (10.1% to 10.6%) and Belgium (8.4% to 8.5%).

In March 2015, the unemployment rate in the United States was 5.5%, the same as in February 2015 and down from 6.6% in March 2014. In March 2015, 4.804 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU28, of whom 3.215 million were in the euro area. Compared with March 2014, youth unemployment decreased by 520,000 in the EU28 and by 276,000 in the euro area.

In March 2015, the youth unemployment rate was 20.9% in the EU28 and 22.7% in the euro area, compared with 22.8% and 24.2% respectively in March 2014. In March 2015, the lowest rates were observed in Germany (7.2%), Austria (10.5%), Denmark and the Netherlands (both 10.8%), and the highest in Greece (50.1% in January 2015), Spain (50.1%), Croatia (45.5% in the first quarter 2015) and Italy (43.1%).