The euro area seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.9% in March 2012, compared with 10.8% in February. Regarding the whole EU, the unemployment rate was unchanged in March 2012 compared with February. In March 2012, the youth unemployment rate was 22.6% in the EU and 22.1% in the euro area, a slight increase compared with the figures released in February 2012.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published its figures for the unemployment rate in the EU and in the euro area. The euro area unemployment rate was 10.9% in March 2012, compared with 10.8% in February. It was 9.9% in March 2011. The EU unemployment rate was 10.2% in March 2012, stable compared with February. It was 9.4% in March 2011.

With regard to the figures by EU Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in Austria (4.0%), the Netherlands (5.0%), Luxembourg (5.2%) and Germany (5.6%), and the highest in Spain (24.1%) and Greece (21.7% in January 2012). Compared with a year ago, the largest falls were observed in Lithuania (17.5% to 14.3% between the fourth quarters of 2010 and 2011), Latvia (17.1% to 14.6% between the fourth quarters of 2010 and 2011) and Estonia (13.9% to 11.7% between the fourth quarters of 2010 and 2011). The highest increases were registered in Greece (14.7% to 21.7% between January 2011 and January 2012), Spain (20.8% to 24.1%) and Cyprus (6.9% to 10.0%).

5.516 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU in March 2012, of whom 3.345 million were in the euro area, according to Eurostat. The youth unemployment rate was 22.6% in the EU and 22.1% in the euro area. In March 2011 it was 21.0% and 20.6% respectively. The lowest rates were observed in Germany (7.9%), Austria (8.6%) and the Netherlands (9.3%), and the highest in Greece (51.2% in January 2012) and Spain (51.1%).