On Friday, Eurostat published its latest unemployment figures, indicating the overall rate in the eurozone falling slightly from 11.5 percent in November to 11.4 percent in December.
According to Eurostat, joblessness had dropped below 10 percent for the first time in just over 3 years in the wider 28-nation European Union.
24.056 million people in the bloc were out of work in the month, some 18.12 million of whom were living in the euro currency area.
To calculate unemployment, Eurostat uses an International Labour Organization (ILO) standard, which in December showed Germany living with the
lowest rate at 4.8 percent. The rate was
at 6.9 percent in the month, the German tally shows.
Joblessness was most rampant in Greece, at 25.8 percent, to be followed by Spain at 23.7 percent.