UNEMPLOYMENT : JOBLESS RATE CONTINUES TO CLIMB IN EU.

• Position: Brief article

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the eurozone hit a record level of 11.9% in January 2013, up from 11.8% in December 2012. In the EU27, unemployment was 10.8%, also up from 10.7% in the previous month. In both zones, the rates rose significantly compared with January 2012, when they were 10.8% and 10.1%, respectively, Eurostat reported, on 1 March.

According to Eurostat's estimates, 26.217 million men and women were unemployed in January 2013 in the EU27.

The lowest jobless rates were registered in Austria (4.9%), Germany and Luxembourg (both 5.3%), and the Netherlands (6%), and the highest in Greece (27% in November 2012), Spain (26.2%) and Portugal (17.6%).

The largest decreases were observed in Estonia (11.1% to 9.9% between December 2011 and December 2012), Latvia (15.5% to 14.4% between the fourth quarters of 2011 and 2012), Romania (7.4% to 6.6%) and the United Kingdom (8.3% to 7.7% between November 2011 and November 2012). The highest increases were registered in Greece (20.8%...