Brussels, 02/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - According to figures released by the EU's Statistical Office (Eurostat) on Monday 2 April, the EU27 unemployment rate was 10.2% in February 2012, compared with 10.1% in January. Eurostat says this is a record level in the EU27. Spain is at the bottom of the class with an unemployment rate of 23.6%, followed by Greece with 21% (Athens' figures date from last December), Portugal (15%) and Ireland (14.7%). In Italy, unemployment has reached a record level of 9.3%. The lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (4.2%), Netherlands (4.9%), Luxembourg (5.2%) and Germany (5.7%). The spokesman for the commissioner responsible for the euro, Olli Rehn, said that “compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate fell in eight member states, increased in eighteen and remained stable in one”. He pointed out that the European Commission expected a return to growth after the current slight recession. He also stressed the importance of continuing with structural reforms to stimulate the economy.
In the eurozone, the rate of unemployment reached its highest ever level for 15 years last February, 10.8% of the working population, 17 million people. This is the 10th consecutive month in which unemployment has reached or gone beyond 10% of the entire eurozone. (LC/MB/transl.fl)