Textile Services: Host`s messages

Date: 2009-09-03 18:08:57 written by: Geert Boettger in group: Textile Services

Rising European Unemployment will hit workwear

The Euro Area (16 countries) showed in July 2009 an unemployment rate of 9,5 %. That is the highest unemployment rate since May 1999, and it rose by 0,1 % compared to June 2009. All together the EU Commission foresees a risk of 8,5 million additionally unemployed till 2010. That will reduce the number of workwear wearers.

Rising unemployment will have an effect on workwear, because the number of wearers will be reduced via unemployment. That might be partially offset by an increasing preference towards workwear in some countries, however that effect cannot offset the risk of 8,5 million people, which had been projected by the EU commission.
Compared with a year ago the highest increases of unemployment were registered in Lithuania (5,8 % to 16,7 %), and Latvia (6,9 to 17,4), while the smallest increases were observed in Romania (5,7% to 6,2%) and Germany(7,2 % to 7,7 %).

Here is the ranking by unemployment rate for Europe (EU27), July 2009 figures (in %):
3,4 NL
4,4 AT
5,5 CY
5,9 DK
6,0 Sl
6,2 RO
6,4 CZ
6,4 Lu
7,0 BG
7,3 MT
7,4 IT
7,7 DE
7,7 UK
8,0 BE
8,2 PL
8,7 EL
8,7 FI
9,0 EU27
9,2 PT
9,2 SE
9,5 EA16
9,8 FR
10,3 HU
12,0 SK
12,5 IE
13,3 EE
16,7 LT
17,4 LV
18,5 ES
Source: Eurostat