Brussels, 01/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - In the euro area, the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.0% in December 2010, unchanged compared with November. It was 9.9% in December 2009. In the EU27, the unemployment rate was 9.6% in December 2010, unchanged from November. In December 2009, it was 9.5%. Compared with November, the number of persons unemployed fell by 19,000 in the EU27 and by 73,000 in the euro area. Compared with December 2009, unemployment rose by 434,000 in the EU27 and by 178,000 in the euro area. Among the member states, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in the Netherlands (4.3%), Luxembourg (4.9%) and Austria (5.0%), and the highest in Spain (20.2%), Lithuania and Latvia (both 18.3% in the third quarter of 2010). In December 2010, the unemployment rate was 9.4% in the USA and 4.9% in Japan. (L.C./transl.rt)