Second-quarter jobless rate falls; young Greeks hardest hit
Greece’s jobless rate fell to 8.9 percent in the second quarter from 9.3 in the first three months of 2009, the National Statistical Service (NSS) said yesterday. The jobless rate in the same quarter last year was 7.2 percent. NSS data showed unemployment in the 15-29 age group was much higher, at 17.7 percent, up from 15.5 in the same period in 2008. Unemployment also affected women more than men, with the jobless rate at 12.5 percent versus 6.3 percent for the male population. The average jobless rate in the 16-nation eurozone was 9.4 percent in June and worsened to 9.5 in July, according to the European Union statistics agency Eurostat.
