Germans Unemployed Longer Than EU Average

A person who becomes unemployed in Germany takes longer to find a new job than people in other EU countries, according to Germany's Federal Statistics Office. Last year, it took 50 percent of unemployed people in Germany more than a year to find a new job, while the EU average was 45 percent. Statistics from western Germany matched the EU average, with 45 percent of unemployed people classed as "long-term unemployed," but in eastern Germany, 60 percent of people were jobless for more than a year. Older people experienced the most difficulty finding a new employer. While nearly a quarter of unemployed 15- to 24-year-olds went more than a year without work, the same was true for 64 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds. Scandinavian countries proved to be efficient in job placement, with just 16 percent of unemployed in Sweden and 20 percent in Denmark and Finland remaining out of work for over a year. In the US, less than 12 percent of unemployed people go longer than a year without finding a new job.