Europe has almost 20 million unemployed people.
The unemployment rate in the 17 countries that use the euro remained at 12% for the second consecutive month, slightly below the record high of 12,1% recorded in June and May.
BRUSSELS, Oct 1 (Reuters) - The eurozone unemployment rate remained stable in August after falling in July for the first time in two years, indicating that the economic recovery is beginning to have a positive effect on the labor market.
The unemployment rate in the 17 countries that use the euro remained at 12 percent for the second consecutive month, slightly below the record high of 12,1 percent recorded in June and May.
The July figure was revised to 12,0 percent, after initially being reported at 12,1 percent. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected unemployment to remain at 12,1 percent.
In absolute terms, the number of unemployed people decreased to 19,178 million in August, compared to 19,183 million in July.
Spain and Greece were the countries where unemployment was highest, above 25 percent, and economists do not expect it to fall below 20 percent in the short term.
Italy, which is going through a political crisis, saw its unemployment rate rise slightly to 12,2 percent in August, after 12,1 percent in July.