On March 1, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, reported that in January this year the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the European Union member states (EU-27) was 10.8 percent, up from 10.7 percent in December 2012. The unemployment rate in the region has risen markedly compared to the 10.1 percent recorded in January 2012. The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in the euro area was 11.9 percent in January, up from 11.8 percent in December 2012, while it was 10.8 percent in January 2012.
Compared to January 2012, the unemployment rate in the EU-27 in January of the current year fell in seven states, increased in 19 states and remained stable in Denmark.Among the EU-27 member states, in January the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (4.9%), Germany and Luxembourg (both 5.3%) and the Netherlands (6.0%), and the highest in Greece (27.0% in November 2012), Spain (26.2%) and Portugal (17.6%).