Euro Zone Unemployment Grows By 110,000 In April

Some 110,000 people were added to the unemployment rolls of the 17-nation euro zone in April, the statistical office of the European Union reported Friday, once again setting a record high, as every country in the common currency agreement save for Austria, Germany and Ireland reported a deteriorating labor condition. The unemployment rate held steady at 11 percent.

Youth unemployment, a closely-watched statistic given the wider political implications large numbers of unemployed people under 25 can have, was 22.2 percent, although the job picture for young people was more polarized: large losses in Greece and Spain were offset by gains in other countries.

Approximately 1.8 million people in the euro common currency area have lost their jobs in the past year, accounting for nearly all of the 1.93 million person rise in unemployment in the wider 27-member European Union.