Thursday, February 2, 2012

EU unemployment hits record high

The number of unemployed people in Europe is reaching record highs as the economic crisis unfolds into one with significant social consequences. In eight member states alone, over 30 percent of young people under 25 are out of jobs.
The worst affected continues to be Spain where half its young are jobless. Images of long queues outside unemployment offices paint a bleak picture in the Spanish state where almost a quarter of all its citizens are unemployed.
Only Austria, Luxembourg and the Netherlands can boast an overall unemployment rate under 5 percent. The high figures - which analysts suggest are being compounded by the EU's focus on austerity measures to drive down government debt - have pushed the issue to the top of the political agenda.

(...)
The unemployment rate in the eurozone is the highest recorded since the euro was launched in 1999. Some 16.3 million people are unemployed across the 17 single-currency-using countries - the equivalent of almost the entire population of the Netherlands.
The unemployment rate in the EU 27 was 9.9 percent in December, with 23.8 million people out of work. November's figure increased from 9.8 percent to 9.9 percent. Spain, Greece and Lithuania recorded the highest rates. All three countries have imposed public sector layoffs and spending cuts. At the same time, Germany's overall unemployment rate dropped to record lows of 5.5 percent.
Euobserver

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