The eurozone seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 10.4% in December 2011 – unchanged compared with November, and slightly higher than the 10% rate in December 2010. The EU27 unemployment rate was 9.9% in December 2011 – also unchanged compared with November and slightly higher than the 9.5% rate in December 2010.

According to Eurostat estimates, released on 31 January, 23,816 million men and women in the EU27, of whom 16.469 million were in the eurozone, were unemployed in December 2011. Compared with November 2011, the number of persons unemployed increased by 24,000 in the EU27 and by 20,000 in the eurozone.

Among the member states, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and the highest in Spain, Greece and Lithuania.

Between December 2010 and December 2011, the unemployment rate for males increased from 9.7% to 10.2% in the eurozone and from 9.5% to 9.8% in the EU27. The female unemployment rate rose from 10.3% to 10.6% in the eurozone and from 9.6% to 9.9% in the EU27.

In December 2011, 5.493 million under-25s were unemployed in the EU27, of whom 3.290 million were in the eurozone. Compared with December 2010, youth unemployment increased by 241,000 in the EU27 and by 113,000 in the eurozone. In December 2011, the youth unemployment rate was 22.1% in the EU27 and 21.3% in the eurozone. In December 2010, it was 21% and 20.6%, respectively. The lowest rates were observed in Germany (7.8%), Austria (8.2%) and the Netherlands (8.6%), and the highest in Spain (48.7%), Greece (47.2% in October 2011) and Slovakia (35.6%).