Eurozone jobless rate still high at 10% in July

The unemployment rate in the 16- nation euro area stood at 10 per cent in July, indicating that the region's labour market continues to remain shaky.

In June as well, the jobless rate in the eurozone -- a grouping of 16 countries that share the common currency -- was 10 per cent.

"The euro area's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10 per cent in July, 2010, unchanged compared with June. It was 9.6 per cent in July, 2009," Eurostat said in a statement today.

Eurostat is the official statistical agency for the European community.

Interestingly, the eurozone had registered a better-than -expected GDP expansion of 1 per cent in the second quarter of 2010. However, the July unemployment figure is another sign that good economic growth has not helped much in reviving the sluggish labour market.

The jobless rate in the European Union, comprising 27 countries, was 9.6 per cent in July, unchanged from the previous month.

In July, a staggering 15.833 million people were unemployed in the euro area.

Among the European nations, Spain and Latvia saw the highest jobless rates in July at 20.3 per cent and 20.1 per cent, respectively. In contrast, one of the lowest unemployment rates during the same period was reported from Austria (3.8 per cent).