English
Unemployment rate in the EU rose to 7,1% in October, up from 7% in the previous month, while unemployment for the Euro area grew from 7,6%, to 7,7%, logging the highest level in the last two years, according to data presented on Friday, by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat).
Among the EU Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in the Netherlands (2.5%), Austria (3%) and Denmark (3.2%), and the highest in Spain (12.8%) and Slovakia (10.0%).
Eurostat estimates that 17,183 million people in the European Union, of which 12,003 million in the Euro region, were unemployed in October, up 290 000 people as compared to September.
Compared to the month of October 2007, the unemployment rate for the Euro zone (15 EU states) dropped, 11 member states logged an unemployment growth - and only one EU member state saw its unemployment rate remain unchanged. The biggest decrease in unemployment was recorded in Poland (from 8,7% to 6,4%), and the greatest increase was logged in Spain (up from 8,5% to 12,8%).
The European Commission estimates that the market labor situation will worsen next year. The Euro zone entered recession, causing the European Commission to elaborate an economic recovery plan, worth 200 billion Euros.
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