Cyprus records third best unemployment rate in EU27 for January

Cyprus recorded the third best performance in the EU-27 regarding unemployment, during January 2008. According to data released in Brussels by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, unemployment in Cyprus reached 3.6% in January 2008.
Unemployment in the Euro area remained in January stable at 7.1% and in the EU27 unchanged at 6.8%. In January 2008, the lowest rates were registered in the Netherlands (2.9%) and Denmark (3.1% in December 2007) and the highest in Slovakia (10.4%).
Over the last year, 24 Member States recorded a fall in their unemployment rate and three an increase.
The largest declines were observed in Poland (11.1% to 8.6%), Bulgaria (7.8% to 6.2%) and Latvia (6.6% to 5.0%), and the highest increase in Estonia (4.8% to 5.6%).
Eurostat estimates that 16.1 million men and women in the EU27, of which 10.9 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in January 2008.
In January 2007, 17.7 million men and women in the EU27, of which 11.7 million were in the euro area, were unemployed. In January 2008, the unemployment rate was 4.9% in the USA. In December 2007, the rate was 3.8% in Japan and 2.4% in Norway.