Eurozone unemployment

The jobless rate in the 18-nation eurozone fell to 11.5 per cent in June from 11.6 per cent in May, hitting the lowest level since September 2012, the Eurostat statistics agency said. Eurostat said there were 18.41 million people without a job in the euro single currency area in June, down 152,000 from May and 783,000 compared with June 2013 when the unemployment rate stood at 12 per cent. In the full 28-member European Union, the jobless rate improved to 10.2 per cent from 10.3 per cent, with 25 million people out of work, down 198,000 from May and 1.54 million from a year earlier when the rate was 10.9 per cent, it said. Austria had the lowest unemployment rate in June at 5.0 per cent, followed by Germany, the bloc's economic powerhouse on 5.1 per cent, while twice-bailed out Greece on 27.3 per cent and Spain, 24.5 per cent, topped the list again. In the highly sensitive category of under-25 unemployment, the eurozone came in at 23.1 per cent or 3.32 million, down from 23.9 per cent a year earlier. The EU was on 22 per cent or 5.13 million, compared with 23.6 per cent in June 2013, according to AFP.