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NI BUSINESS Eurozone Jobless Rate Holds Steady At Record High Of 12.2 Percent BRUSSELS -- BRUSSELS (AP) — Official figures show the unemployment rate in the 17-nation eurozone remained unchanged in September at a record high of 12.2 percent. Eurostat, the European Union's statistics agency, said Thursday the number of unemployed rose by 60,000 to 19.45 million. The jobless rate for those aged under 25 edged up to 24.1 percent from 24 percent in August. The agency says the unemployment rate for the wider 28-nation European Union remained unchanged at 11 percent. A year earlier, the September unemployment rate was 11.6 percent for the eurozone and 10.6 percent for the EU-28. The eurozone's economy grew by 0.3 percent in the second quarter compared with the previous three- month period, bringing it out of a recession that saw six straight quarterly declines. Euro Area Countries With High Unemployment #1. Greece (27.2%) #2. Spain (26.7%) #3 Portugal (17.5%) #4 Slovakia (14.5%) #5. Latvia (14.3%) #6: Cyprus (14.2%) Wage of 2 EFTA01103790 #7: Ireland (14.1%) #9: Bulgaria (12.6%) #8: Lithuania (13.1%) #10: Italy (11.5%) Wage of 2 EFTA01103791