According to the EU Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review released on January 14 by the European Commission, the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU now accounts for nearly one quarter of the EU population.
The number of unemployed in the EU has continued to rise over recent months, increasing by 3.5 million since March 2011 and reaching a new high of more than 26 million, by November 2012.
Young people remain the first victims of the lack of jobs, with the youth unemployment rate reaching a new peak in November 2012, at 23.7 per cent. Growing long-term unemployment and non-productive inactivity for youth pose serious risks for the young generation, which materialise particularly in the rising number of young people who are neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), and which now account for nearly 13 per cent of the population aged 15 to 24.
Owing to the very difficult labour market situation, the number of Europeans at risk of poverty or social exclusion increased by six million between 2008 and 2011, affecting now 24.2 per cent of the population. Large cross-country disparities are emerging, due to differentials in household income growth.
Child poverty has risen in 18 Member States since, driven by the situation of working age adults. The working age population has been the one most directly hit by the crisis.
Download the full review: EU Employment and Social Situation Quaterly Review
