The number of people out of work in the European Union (EU) has dipped between October and November 2010, new figures show.

Latest data from Eurostat reveal there were 35,000 fewer individuals unemployed in the region during the month in question, with joblessness falling to 23.248 million.

Although the number of people out of work remained higher than in November 2009, it appeared to be declining in both the EU27 and the eurozone areas, according to the statistics.

Unemployment stood unchanged across the EU at 10.1 per cent in November 2010, with the lowest rates recorded in the Netherlands (4.4 per cent), Luxembourg (4.8 per cent) and Austria (5.1 per cent).

High levels of people out of work still exist in Spain (20.6 per cent) and Lithuania (18.3 per cent), while sharp falls in those seeking roles were witnessed year-on-year in Sweden, Finland and Germany.

Meanwhile, a new study of economic sentiment among the seven largest EU member states revealed growth in confidence among six nations, in particular France, where it rose by 2.5 points and the Netherlands (+2.5 points).

Posted by Alex Donnell