2 Apr 2010

Eurozone unemployment rate hits 10%

7:04 pm on 2 April 2010

The unemployment rate across the 16-nation eurozone hit 10% in February, the first time it has reached double figures since the euro was introduced in 1999.

The figures equate to 23 million people being out of work, but there are large variations between nations. The Spanish unemployment rate, for instance, is 19%, while the Dutch is just 4%.

Unemployment among the young is 20%.

Separate figures show eurozone inflation hit a 15-month high of 1.5% in March, a rise attributed by analysts to recent increases in energy prices.