EUROZONE UNEMPLOYMENT REMAINS AT 9.9 PERCENT IN MARCH

Brussels, April 29 (Xinhua)- The unemployment rate in the euro zone was 9.9 percent in March, unchanged compared with February, the European Union's (EU) statistical bureau Eurostat said on Friday.

It was down from 10.1 percent registered one year ago, a sign that the eurozone labor market was getting better when the economy is recovering.

For the 27-nation EU, the jobless rate remained stable for the third consecutive month at 9.5 percent in March. It was 9.7 percent a year ago.

Eurostat estimated that 22.828 million men and women in the EU, of whom 15.596 million were in the euro zone, were unemployed in March.

Compared with February, the number of persons unemployed fell by 10 thousand in the EU and by 9 thousand in the euro zone. Compared with March 2010, unemployment decreased by 291 thousand in the EU and by 260 thousand in the euro zone.

Among the member states, the lowest jobless rate was recorded in the Netherlands, which was 4.2 percent. The highest rate was seen in Spain, which was 20.7 percent in March.

The unemployment situation in Europe was still worse than that in the United States and Japan. In March, the unemployment rate was 8.8 percent in the U.S., while in February, it was 4.6 percent in Japan.

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