Euro area unemployment rate at 12.1%

The eurozone seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 12.1% in November 2013, stable since April. The EU28 unemployment rate was 10.9%, stable since May. In both zones, the rates increased compared with November 2012, when they were 11.8% and 10.8% respectively. These figures are published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Eurostat estimates that 26.553 million men and women in the EU28, of whom 19.241 million were in the euro area, were unemployed in November 2013.

Compared with October 2013, the number of persons unemployed increased by 19 000 in the EU28 and by 4 000 in the euro area. Compared with November 2012, unemployment rose by 278 000 in the EU28 and by 452 000 in the euro area.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (4.8%), Germany (5.2%) and Luxembourg (6.1%), and the highest in Greece (27.4% in September 2013) and Spain (26.7%).

Compared with a year ago, the unemployment rate increased in fourteen Member States and fell in fourteen. The highest increases were registered in Cyprus (13.3% to 17.3%), Italy (11.3% to 12.7%), Greece (26.0% to 27.4% between September 2012 and September 2013) and the Netherlands (5.6% to 6.9%).

The largest decreases were observed in Ireland (14.3% to 12.3%), Latvia (14.0% to 12.0% between the third quarters of 2012 and 2013), Lithuania (13.0% to 11.3%), Portugal (17.0% to 15.5%) and Hungary (11.0% to 9.5% between October 2012 and October 2013).

In November 2013, the unemployment rate in the United States was 7.0%, down from 7.3% in October 2013 and from 7.8% in November 2012.