Spain has the highest unemployment figures in the EU

Spain ended 2009 with the highest unemployment figures in the Eurozone.

Earlier in 2009, the Spanish government insisted that they would not let the unemployment figures rise to 20 per cent, but they will have their work cut out as jobseekers (in Spain) now account for 19.4 per cent of the population; this is the highest since August 1998.

Unemployment among people under 25 is the most crucial figure, 43.8 per cent of this age-group is unemployed.

At present, in the EU (including member states that don’t use the euro as currency) Spain is only beaten by Latvia, whose unemployment figures at the moment are 22.3 per cent.

Statistics released on Friday by Eurostat reveal that the unemployment figures in November rose in the Eurozone by 10 per cent.

There are currently 15.71 million people in the Eurozone out of work, says Eurostat.