Unemployment in Romania rose for the first time in over a year in February, according to EU statistics office Eurostat. The figures, published on April 2, indicate that unemployment in Romania increased slightly by 0.1 percentage points to reach 6.7 percent at the end of February. Despite the slight rise, unemployment levels in Romania are among the lowest in the EU, with only five other Member States recording a lower rate.

The unemployment rate among men and women in Romania followed its typical trend, with more men unemployed and in search of work than women. The rate among men was 7 percent, up 0.1 percentage points on January 2013, while the figure for women was 6.3 percent at the end of February, also up 0.1 percentage points on the previous month. Youth unemployment appears to be disproportionately high in Romania. The most recent figures, for December 2012, put unemployment among under 25s at 22.2 percent, close to the EU average of 23.3 percent. This contrasts with the headline rate, which is significantly below the European averages.

On average across the EU, unemployment climbed by 0.1 percentage points to reach 10.9 percent at the end of February. Meanwhile eurozone unemployment remained steady at 12 percent. Austria maintained its place as the EU's employment star, with the the unemployment rate unchanged at 4.8 percent. The unemployment crises continue in Spain and Greece, with Spain registering yet another 0.1 percentage points rise to 26.3 percent at the end of February. The most recent figure for Greece was from December 2012, when unemployment was 26.4 percent.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com