
As of the second quarter of 2025, 13.3 million people aged 15 to 74 in the EU are officially unemployed. However, this figure rises to 26.8 million when including so-called ‘hidden unemployment’, since the standard definition of employment is very restrictive. It excludes three key groups:
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people available to work but not actively seeking employment
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underemployed people working part-time
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people seeking work but not immediately available