EU UNEMPLOYMENT RISES

Unemployment across Europe has risen due to the coronavirus pandemic with airline companies and the automobile sector making some of the biggest job cuts.

About 397,000 people in the European Union lost their jobs in April, according to data from the EU's stats agency, released in June.

The EU’s jobless rate rose to 6.6% in April, from a 12-year low of 6.4% the previous month, according to Eurostat. It's the biggest rise in several years.

While furlough schemes (putting workers on temporary leave and the government paying a percentage of their salaries) across Europe are helping some shield from the economic impact of COVID-19, others are less fortunate.

Topping the list of jobs cuts was that of British oil giant BP which announced plans to cut 10,000 jobs on Monday due to the coronavirus crisis, which has slashed the global demand for oil and in turn its prices.

In a company-wide email seen by Euronews, CEO Bernard Looney confirmed the job cuts saying that most would be made this year.

He said: “We will now begin a process that will see close to 10,000 people leaving BP – most by the end of this year.

Though the email did not specify where the redundancies would take place, it said: “The majority of people affected will be in office-based jobs. We are protecting the frontline of the company and, as always, prioritizing safe and reliable operations.”