Eurozone unemployment reaches 10%

Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone at 19.4%

Unemployment in the 16 countries that use the euro hit 10% in November for the first time since the single currency was introduced in 1999.

The unemployment rate in the eurozone is now at its highest level since August 1998, Eurostat said.

Some 15.7 million people are out of work in the eurozone.

Across all 27 countries that make up the EU, there are 22.9 million people unemployed. The jobless rate rose to 9.5% in November from 9.4% in October.

Compared with a year ago, all EU member states recorded an increase in their unemployment rate.

EU UNEMPLOYMENT RATES Highest: Latvia - 22.3% Spain - 19.4% Estonia - 15.2% Lowest: Netherlands - 3.9% Austria - 5.5% Luxemburg - 6.0% Source: Eurostat

Latvia has the highest jobless rate in the EU at 22.3%.

Spain continues to have the highest rate in the eurozone - rising to 19.4% in November from 19.3% the previous month.

Separate Eurostat figures also confirmed that the eurozone economy grew by 0.4% in the July to September quarter.

Only three eurozone countries are still in recession - Spain, Greece and Cyprus.

In the EU as a whole, there was also still evidence of falling output in the UK, Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and Romania.