The euro area unemployment rate remained on its maximum in August 2012. Average percentage of unemployed in 17 countries with common currency was 11.4%. Compared to 2011 numbers, unemployment grew by 1.2 percentage points. In the EU27 unemployment rate was 10.5% in June 2012, compared to 9.7% in 2011.

As usual, the lowest unemployment rates were observed in Austria (4.5%), Luxembourg (5.2%), the Netherlands (5.3%), Germany (5.5%) and the highest in Spain (25.1%) and Greece (24.4% in June 2012).

In August 2012, youth unemployment reached a new peak. It was 22.8% in the euro area and 22.7% in the EU27. The lowest rates were measured in Germany (8.1%), the Netherlands (9.4%) and Austria (9.7%) and the highest in Greece (55.4% in June 2012) and Spain (52.9%).

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