Brussels, 04/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - According to estimates published by Eurostat, the rate of unemployment in the euro zone seasonally-adjusted, amounted to 8.5% in November 2001, unchanged in relation to October. In November 2000 and 2001, the rate of unemployment varied between 8.4 and 8.5%. the level of unemployment in the Europe of the Fifteen (EU15) was 7.8% in November, against 7.9% a year earlier. The lowest levels were observed in the Netherlands (2.2% in October), Luxembourg (2.5.%), Austria (4.0%), Ireland (4.1%), Portugal (4.2%) and Denmark (4.4% in October). The unemployment rate in Spain (13.0%) remained the highest in the EU. Eurostat considers that in November 2001, 11.7 million men and women were on the dole in the euro zone and 13.6 million in the EU15.
Over the past twelve months, the steepest falls in unemployment were observed in the Netherlands (from 2.9% in October 2000 to 2.2% in October 2001), Denmark (from 4.8% in October 2000 to 4.4% in October 2001), Sweden (5.4% to 5.0%) and Italy (from 10.0% in October 2000 to 9.3% in October 2001). The highest increases in relation to last year were noted in Austria (from 3.6% to 4.0%), Ireland (3.9% to 4.1%) and Portugal (4.0% to 4.2%).
In November 2001, the unemployment rate for the under 25s stood at 16.9% in the euro zone and 15.7% in the EU15, slightly up on the same period last year, when it was, respectively, 16.4% and 15.6%. In November 2001, it varied from 5.1% in the Netherlands to 25.0% in Spain and 27.4% in Italy (in October).
Eurostat, moreover expects an unemployment rate in the United States of 5.7% in November, against 5.4% in October. That of Japan remains stable at 5.4%.