Unemployment is running at a record high across the Eurozone. It rose to just under 12% in January with nearly 19 million people out of work.
According to Eurostat 201,000 people joined the jobless queues in the Eurozone in January and 222,000 in the wider 27-member European Union.
The highest jobless rates were seen in:
- Greece 27.0%
- Spain 26.2%
- Portugal 17.6%
The states with the lowest unemployment were:
- Austria 4.9%
- Germany and Luxembourg both at 5.3%
- The Netherlands 6.0%
Eurostat estimates that there are a total of 26.2 million people jobless in the EU27, with 18.998 million of those based in the Euro area.
When compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate increased in 19 Member States, fell in 7 and remained stable in Denmark. Just over 24% of young people, aged under-25, were also out of work in the Eurozone compared with 21.9% in January 2012.
