The line chart illustrates the unemployment rate in the European Union from 1990 to 1999, including the proportions in three categories: Professional, Manual and Self-employed.
Overall, the percentage of unemployed workers generally increased throughout the period shown and this pattern was mirrored by self-employed workers. On the contrary, unemployment rate in professional workers and manual workers followed a fluctuating pattern. In addition, the lowest unemployment rate was seen in professional workers.
Regarding the increasing categories, exactly 6% of self-employed workers in the European Union were unemployed in 1990, slightly higher than the figure for the total workers, at nearly 5%. Both then declined minimally, reaching a low of roughly 5% and 4% in 1992, respectively, before surging to comparable percentages of just over 12% five years later. While unemployment rate in self-employed workers stabilized at 12% over the remainder of the period, that in the total workers fell merely, ending at precisely 10%.
Conversely, manual workers exhibited notable growth in unemployment rate over the first four years of the period, peaking at over 14%, prior to a decline to roughly 9% in 1999. Finally, unemployment rate in professional workers fluctuated at around 2 to 6%, with a high of nearly 6% in 1997.