Eight per cent jobless in EU

The rate of unemployment in the 15 member states of the European Union in November 2003 stood at eight per cent, unchanged compared to October 2003. A year earlier the rate of unemployment was 7.8 per cent, according to Eurostat, the statistical office...

The rate of unemployment in the 15 member states of the European Union in November 2003 stood at eight per cent, unchanged compared to October 2003.

A year earlier the rate of unemployment was 7.8 per cent, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Communities based in Luxembourg.

The eight per cent rate represents 14.2 million unemployed men and women.

The lowest rate of unemployment, 3.9 per cent, was that registered in Luxembourg, while the highest, 11.3 per cent, was in Spain.

The Malta-EU Information Centre, which distributed the Eurostat information, said the Labour Force Survey (LFS) carried out between June 23 and 29 by the National Statistics Office, the latest available, shows that the number of unemployed during June 2003 was 12,045, or 7.5 per cent.

The definitions and criteria used in this LFS match international methodologies used by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

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