On July 2, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, reported that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in the European Union member states (EU-27) was 10.3 percent in May this year. The unemployment rate in the region was 9.5 percent in May 2011. The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in the euro area was 11.1 percent in May, almost stable compared to the 11 percent recorded in April. It was 10.0 percent in May last year.
Among the member states, the lowest unemployment rates in May were recorded in Austria at 4.1 percent, in the Netherlands at 5.1 percent and in Luxembourg at 5.4 percent. The highest unemployment rates were seen in Spain at 24.6 percent and in Greece at 21.9 percent (in March).
Meanwhile, in May this year the unemployment rate in the US was 8.2 percent.