The employment rate within the European Union (EU) has stabilized at around 9.6 per cent, new figures show.

Data from Eurostat reveals the climbing rate of joblessness in the area appears to have halted in June 2010 compared with May's level.

In addition, the report also states that the 16-member eurozone witnessed no change in its unemployment rate over the month at ten per cent.

The relative rates for the EU as a whole and the euro area for June 2009 were nine per cent and 9.5 per cent respectively, with more than 23 million people out of work across the region at present.

During June 2010, the EU saw a fall in joblessness of 32,000, although the eurozone total climbed slightly by 6,000.

According to the EU statistical office, Austria (3.9 per cent) and the Netherlands (4.4 per cent) have the lowest unemployment rates, compared with a high of 20 per cent in both Spain and Latvia.

New data from Germany indicated that the number of people in work in the country grew during June by 41,000 to 40.3 million inhabitants, compared with May.

Posted by Sarah Dixon