Regional labour market disparities are narrowing

The latest estimates for 2006 show that levels of regional disparities in employment and unemployment have been narrowing over the last five years. Notwithstanding these general labour market improvements, almost 20% of the EU-27 active population is still living in underperforming regions as regards unemployment. This short publication analyses the two kinds of regional labour market disparity indicators: the dispersion of employment and unemployment rates and the index of underperforming regions.