Eurozone unemployment hit a fresh record of 12.1 percent in March, with 19.2 million people on the dole as recession continued to sap the economy.
The Eurostat data agency said an extra 62,000 people joined unemployment queues in the 17-nation eurozone as the jobless rate climbed for the 23rd consecutive month.
In the full 27-member EU, a total 26.5 million people were out of work in March, or 10.9 percent, as 69,000 extra workers went on the dole.
The data shows a dramatic year-on-year rise, with unemployment a year before at 11.0 percent in the eurozone and 10.3 percent in the European Union.
Greece remained the hardest hit nation in March, with joblessness relentlessly climbing to hit 27.2 percent in January, the latest available figures, against 26.3 percent in December.
Spain, the eurozone’s fourth economy and the EU’s fifth, was not far behind, with 26.7 percent out of work against 26.3 percent the previous month.
Eurozone unemployment hits record 12.1% in March: EU
