Greece, Spain lead Europe’s jobless parade
May 22, 2015, 5:18 AM
People walk past a graffiti that reads in Portuguese: "Greece woke up, what about us?" in Lisbon, Thursday, May 21, 2015. European Central Bank head Mario Draghi said that "growth is too low everywhere" in Europe despite a modest recovery, during an ECB's conference on inflation and unemployment in Sintra, Portugal. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
(AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
SINTRA, Portugal (AP) — The European Central Bank has called on governments in the eurozone to make it easier to hire and fire workers, saying it would help create jobs.
Here are the five countries with the highest unemployment rates among the 19 that share the euro currency, followed by the five with the lowest rates.
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HIGHEST RATES
1. Greece, 25.7 percent.
2. Spain, 23.0 percent
3. Cyprus 16.0 percent
4. Portugal 13.5 percent
5. Italy 13.0 percent
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LOWEST RATES
1. Germany, 4.7 percent
2. Austria, 5.6 percent
3. Luxembourg, 5.7 percent
4. Malta, 5.8 percent
5. Estonia, 5.9 percent
Source: Eurostat.
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