Eurozone unemployment at record high

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BRUSSELS, April 30 (UPI) -- Unemployment in the 17-member eurozone climbed to a record 12.1 percent in March, the region's statistical office said Tuesday.

The unemployment rate was 12 percent in February.

The unemployment rate in the overall European Union, which has 27 countries, was unchanged in the month, holding at 10.9 percent, the data agency said.

The data office estimated that 19.2 million people in the eurozone and 26.5 million in the European Union were unemployed in March, with the number of jobless increasing 62,000 in the eurozone and 69,000 in the European Union.

The lowest unemployment rate in Europe in March was posted by Austria at 4.7 percent. In the largest economy on the continent, Germany, the unemployment rate was a relatively low 5.4 percent in the month.

The highest rate for March was posted by Spain at 26.7 percent. The last figure posted by Greece refers to January and that is higher, however, at 27.2 percent.