Out of work
November 30, 2011
Eurozone unemployment rose to an all-time high of 10.3 percent in October, according to official figures.
The European Union's statistics office, Eurostat, said Wednesday that the October increase pushed up the total numbers of people out of work in the 17-member eurozone by 126,000 to a record of more than 16.29 million.
The jobless rate in the 27-member European Union also crept up in October, rising by 130,000 to 23.55 million during the month, or 9.8 percent, compared to 9.7 percent in September.
Wide divide
By contrast, German unemployment fell to a 20-year low in November, as export-driven companies in Europe's largest economy continued adding jobs.
A more-than-forecast 20,000 new jobs put seasonally adjusted unemployment at 2.91 million in Germany, or 6.9 percent.
Spain still claims the highest unemployment rate in the European Union, where the October jobless rate rose to 22.8 percent from 20.5 percent a year earlier.
In Greece, the country worst hit by the eurozone debt crisis, unemployment soared to 18.3 percent in August - the most recent figures available - compared to 12.9 percent for the same period in 2010.
Austria recorded the lowest rate in the eurozone at 4.1 percent, followed by Luxembourg with 4.7 percent and the Netherlands at 4.8 percent.
Author: Gregg Benzow (dpa, AFP, AP)
Editor: Martin Kuebler