Brussels, 03/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - According to figures released by Eurostat on Tuesday, the Euro-zone unemployment level stood at 8.8% in December 2003, unchanged compared to November. This is the tenth consecutive month in which the level of unemployment in the EU has remained unchanged in December (8.0%). In December 2003, lowest rates were registered in Luxembourg (3.9%), the Netherlands (4.1% in November), Ireland (4.5%) and Austria (4.6%). Spain's 11.2% remained the EU's highest rate. Among the Member States for which data are available for the most recent months, ten recorded an increase in their unemployment rate over a year, three a decrease and one remained stable. The Netherlands (3.0% in November 2002 to 4.1% in November 2003), Denmark (4.9% to 6.1%) and Luxembourg (3.2% to 3.9%) recorded the most important relative increases. Italy's unemployment rate fell from 8.9% in October 2002 to 8.4% in October 2003, the United Kingdom's rate decreased from 5.1% in October 2002 to 4.9% in October 2003, Spain's rate fell from 11.5% to 11.2% and Finland's remained the same at 9.0%. In December 2003 compared to December 2002, the unemployment rate for males in the euro-zone grew from 7.6% to 7.8%, and the female unemployment rate rose from 10.0% to 10.1%. In the EU15 the unemployment rate for males grew from 7.1% in December 2002 to 7.3% in December 2003. Over the same period the female rate increased from 8.8% to 8.9%. Eurostat estimates that, in December 2003, 12.3 million men and women were unemployed in the euro-zone and 14.2 million in the EU15.