Brussels, 09/01/2006 (Agence Europe) - The November 2005 unemployment figure in the euro zone was 8.3%, the same as in October, but down on November 2004's figure of 8.8%. In the EU25, it was 8.5%, the same as in October 2004 but below the 9% recorded a year ago. The lowest rates were in Ireland (4.3%), Denmark (4.5%), the United Kingdom (4.8% in September) and Austria (5.2%). The highest unemployment levels were recorded in Poland (17.4%), Slovakia (16%), Greece (10.1% in the third quarter of 2005), Germany (9.3%), France (9.2%) and Latvia (8.6%).
Over the year, unemployment fell in sixteen Member States and rose in eight others. The largest relative falls were in Lithuania (from 9.8% to 7.0%), Estonia (from 8.4% to 6.6%), Spain (from 10.5% to 8.5%), Denmark (from 5.3% to 4.5%) and Latvia (9.7% to 8.6%). The most significant rises were in Luxemburg (from 4.9% to 5.6%), Hungary (from 6.5% to 7.3%), Portugal (from7.0% to 7.5%), Cyprus (from 5.9% to 6.3%) and the United Kingdom (from 4.6% in September 2004 to 4.8% in September 2005). In November 2005, unemployment stood at 5.0% in the United States and at 4.6% in Japan.