Europe on the brink of collapse? Fact check on the real state of unemployment

# Translate to English, preserving HTML markup: February 28, 2025 on the YouTube channel CTVBY a video was posted with a screaming headline: “Wave of layoffs covers Europe! #EU #crisis #layoffs #economy #news”

The content of this story:

A wave of layoffs has hit companies in European Union countries. The publication Politico reports that over the past 15 years, almost 2.5 million people have been laid off in the industrial sector. Against the backdrop of the economic crisis, thousands of people lose their jobs annually. For instance, the closure of a factory of a famous French tire manufacturer resulted in the dismissal of more than 1,200 employees. Last year, France registered the highest number of bankruptcies in the past 15 years. And despite millions of euros in government aid, industrialists are unable to compete with Asian competitors. The economic crisis and high unemployment could provoke social unrest. A similar situation is observed in many companies in Western Europe. The region is experiencing difficulties due to global competition, high energy prices, and bureaucracy. This stagnation has developed against the backdrop of political instability and a crisis of power.

Our verdict based on conducted analyses:

Verdict: Incorrect

Reasons:

• The thesis or statement is completely false: information from multiple sources or opinions of several experts in the specific field contradict it.
• The alleged cause-and-effect relationships and connections clearly do not exist as claimed.
• When quoting, significant parts are omitted, rearranged, changed, or incorrectly translated from a foreign language, resulting in a fundamental change in the meaning of what was said.
• The event happened in substantially different ways than claimed.

Rating scale for verification

Full video:

The following data was found to discuss the manipulations identified:

• Original article from February 27, 2025 Money alone can’t stop Europe’s industrial twilight
• Official European Union statistics on unemployment levels

Manipulation 1: “Mass layoffs” in Europe

• The video claims that over the past 15 years, 2.5 million people were laid off in the EU industrial sector.
• Facts: In the Politico article referenced by the propagandists, it mentions a reduction of 2.3 million jobs, but this does not mean mass layoffs. The reasons for this reduction were automation, production restructuring, and workers transitioning to other sectors. These are natural processes in the economies of developed countries.

Manipulation 2: “Economic crisis” in industry

• The propagandists emphasize the closure of the Michelin factory in France and the layoff of 1,254 employees.
• Facts: The closure of one factory is not a sign of a systemic crisis. France and Germany indeed face competition from Asian manufacturers but receive billions of euros in government support for modernization.

Manipulation 3: “High unemployment”

• The video claims that the “economic crisis and high unemployment” threaten Europe with social unrest.
• Facts: According to Eurostat data for January 2025:
  • Overall unemployment in the EU – 5.8% (a decrease compared to last year!).
  • Unemployment in the eurozone – 6.2% (also decreased).
  • Youth unemployment – 14.6% (but with a downward trend).
  • In the EU over the past year, the number of unemployed decreased by 510,000 people.
• This proves that the assertion about “rising unemployment” is false. Europe is not experiencing a mass employment crisis.

Data confirmation
The graph below shows the dynamics of overall unemployment in the EU from 2015 to 2025. It is clear that the unemployment rate is not rising, but falling, which contradicts claims about an “employment crisis.”

Similarly, the level of youth unemployment is also declining, which proves the stability of the EU labor market and its ability to adapt to economic changes.

Manipulation 4: “Political instability”

• The video claims that the economic situation will lead to political instability and a crisis of power.
• Facts: The Politico article talks about the impact of economic changes on the political landscape, but not about a crisis of power. European countries continue reforms and support for industry.

Now let’s perform an analysis of disinformation narratives and semantic analysis: