The latest set of unemployment figures have been published by Eurostat. A day after the Commission President said (or at least as it was drafted for him to say):
I think we can say that the Irish economy is now turning the corner. The latest positive figures on employment confirm that when there is determination, the programmes can work and indeed Ireland is already on positive territory when it comes to growth.
the unemployment news-release from Eurostat says:
The highest increases were registered in Greece (20.8% to 27.0% between November 2011 and November 2012), Cyprus (9.9% to 14.7%), Portugal (14.7% to 17.6%) and Spain (23.6% to 26.2%).
and has this graph:
Euroarea inflation is expected to fall to 1.8% in February.
[Aside: Anyone have any idea why Eurostat give priority and headline status in their releases to the EZ17 figures rather than the EU27 figures?]