ATHENS – The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in February 2020 was 16.1% compared to 18.4% in February 2019 and to the downward revised 16.2% in January 2020, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) announced on Thursday.

The number of employed in February 2020 amounted to 3,888,595 persons. The number of unemployed amounted to 745,948 while the number of inactive to 3,269,459. The number of employed persons increased by 14,451 persons compared with February 2019

(a 0.4% rate of increase) and decreased by 28,467 persons compared with January 2020 (a 0.7 rate of decrease).

The number of unemployed persons decreased by 125,419 persons compared with February 2019 (a 14.4% rate of decrease) and by 13,527 persons compared with January 2020 (a 1.8% rate of decrease).

The number of inactive persons, i.e., persons that neither work nor look for a job, increased by 66,100 persons compared with February 2019 (a 2.1% rate of increase) and by 39,473 persons compared with January 2020 (a 1.2% rate of increase).

In women, the unemployment rate (19.9% in February 2020 from 23% in February 2019) remains significantly higher than that in men (13.1% from 14.7%).

In terms of age, the highest percentages were recorded in the groups of 15-24 years (35.6% in February 2020 from 36.5% in February 2019) and 25-34 years (21.8% from 25.2%).

In terms of regions, in the first three positions are Epirus-Western Macedonia (21% in February 2020 from 21.2% in February 2019), Macedonia-Thrace (18.4% from 18.9%) and Thessaly- Central Greece (17% from 18.6%). They are followed by the Peloponnese – Western Greece – Ionian Islands (15.3% from 19%), Attica (14.5% from 18.3%), Crete (13.8% from 12.3%) and the Aegean. (13.6% from 18.3%).