EU27 seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.9% in March 2013, stable compared to February 2013. In the euro area the unemployment rate was 12.1% in March 2013, up from 12.0% in February 2013. The lowest unemployment rates were measured in Austria (4.7%), Germany (5.4%) and Luxembourg (5.7%), and the highest in Greece (27.2% in January), Spain (26.7%) and Portugal (17.5%).

The highest increases were recorded in Greece (from 21.5% to 27.2% between January 2012 and January 2013), Cyprus (10.7% to 14.2%) and Spain (24.1% to 26.7%). The largest decreases were observed in Latvia (15.6% to 14.3% between the fourth quarters of 2011 and 2012) and Estonia (10.6% to 9.4% between February 2012 and February 2013).

Youth unemployment remains a crucial problem of the whole EU. In March 2013, the youth unemployment rate was 23.5% in the EU27 and 24.0% in the euro area, compared with 22.6% and 22.5% respectively in March 2012. In March 2013, the lowest rates were observed in Germany and Austria (both 7.6%) and the Netherlands (10.5%), and the highest in Greece (59.1% in January 2013), Spain (55.9%), Italy (38.4%) and Portugal (38.3%).

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