Brussels, 01/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - There was no change in unemployment in the eurozone or EU27 between November and December 2012, standing at 11.7% and 10.7% respectively or 18.7 million and 25.9 million individuals, according to figures released by the EU's statistics office, Eurostat, on Friday. Behind the figures, however, there is a brewing social crisis and a hefty financial burden for the member states. The cost of each unemployed person varies between €19,991 in Spain and more than €33,000 in Belgium per year.
The year 2012 ended on the same note as it started. Greece, with 27.8% unemployment, comes top, with the highest leap in unemployment in Europe over 12 months (up 7.1% in a year), closely followed by Spain, where more than a quarter of the working population is unemployed (26.1%), then Cyprus which had a relative low level of unemployment at the start of 2012 (9.7%) which shot up by 5% over the year.
A report, prepared by Idea Consult and unveiled by the European Federation of Services to the Individual (EFS) on Wednesday 30 January, shows that the cost of each person unemployed varies widely depending on the national national insurance system, taxation and VAT. It ranges from just under €20,000 a year in Spain due largely to unemployment benefit. The situation is different in France, where the €28,717 cost is due largely to the lack of employer national insurance payments. A final example to demonstrate the differences between member states is the situation in Belgium, where each unemployed person is calculated to cost €33,443 a year, due to direct taxes not generated. (JK/transl.fl)