Malta at 5.8 per cent is well below the 7.2 per cent of the EU27 unemployment line, as statistics by the Eurostat on unemployment in the European Union reveal.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were recorded in the Netherlands, 2.7 per cent, Austria, 3.8 per cent, and Cyprus, 3.9 per cent, and the highest in Spain, 13.4 per cent, Slovakia, 9.1 per cent and Latvia at 9.0 per cent.

Compared with a year ago, thirteen Member States recorded a fall in their unemployment rate, and fourteen an increase. The largest falls were observed in Poland from 8.5 per cent to 6.5 per cent and Slovakia 10.5 per cent to 9.1 per cent, and the highest increases in Spain from 8.6 per cent to 13.4 per cent and Estonia, 4.1 per cent to 8.3 per cent.

The unemployment rate for males increased from 6.5 per cent to 7.4 percent between November 2007 and November 2008 in the euro area and from 6.3 peer cent to 7.0 per cent in the EU27.

The female unemployment rate increased from 8.2 per cent to 8.3 per cent in the euro area and remained stable at 7.5 per cent in the EU27.

In November 2008, the youth unemployment rate (under-25s) was at 16.4 per cent in the EU27.

In November 2007 it was 14.7 per cent respectively. The lowest rates were observed in the Netherlands 5.4 per cent while the highest in Spain and Sweden 29.4 per cent and 23.8 per cent, respectively.

unemployment rate in the USA in November 2008 was of 6.7 per cent while in Japan was of 3.9 per cent