In July 2018, unemployment in the European Union slipped to the lowest level in over a decade, and Croatia was once again among the member states with the largest year-on-year drops in unemployment rate, Eurostat said on Monday.

The EU28 unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in July 2018, inching down from 6.9 percent in June, and from 7.6 percent in July 2017. This was the lowest unemployment rate recorded across the bloc since April 2008.

According to Eurostat estimates, about 16.8 million people in the EU28 were unemployed in July 2018. Compared with June 2018, their number slightly decreased by 82,000. Year-on-year, unemployment fell by 1.9 million.

By member countries, the lowest unemployment rates in July 2018 were recorded in the Czech Republic (2.3 percent), Germany (3.4 percent) and Poland (3.5 percent). The highest were observed in Greece (19.5 percent in May 2018, the most recent data avilable) and Spain (15.1 percent).

In Croatia, unemployment in July 2018 was at 8.8 percent, down by 0.2 percentage points month-on-month, with a total of 161,000 people out of work, or 4,000 fewer than in June. Compared with July 2017, their number decreased by 38,000.

In July 2018, Croatia was also among EU countries with the largest year-on-year unemployment rate drops, as it fell by 2.1 percentage points over the last 12 months.

The largest decrease was registered in Cyprus, where it dropped to 7.7 percent, from 10.7 percent in July 2017.

In July 2018, some 3.3 million young persons under the age of 25 were unemployed in the EU28. Compared with July 2017, youth unemployment decreased by 466,000. The youth unemployment rate in July 2018 was 14.8 percent, down from 16.8 percent in July 2017.

In July 2018, the lowest youth unemployment rates were observed in Germany (6.1 percent), Malta (6.3 percent) and the Czech Republic (6.6 percent), while the highest were recorded in Greece (39.7 percent in May 2018), Spain (33.4 percent) and Italy (30.8 percent).

Croatia releases youth unemployment data quarterly, rather than monthly. In Q2 2018, it was estimated at 22.6 percent, with 35,000 Croatians under 25 out of work.

Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.