Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, reports (pdf) that the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was 10.7% in January 2012 for countries in the eurozone, up from 10.0% in January of 2011. The percentages represent millions out of work: the report shows 24.3 million people out of work in the EU, with 16.9 million unemployed in the eurozone.

 

Greece, which has been hit by rounds of austerity measures, had the second highest level of unemployment at 19.9%, with Spain earning the dubious honor of being at the top of the unemployment rates in the EU at 23.3%.

Spaniards have been hitting the streets by the thousands to protest the Spanish government's austerity reforms, which are making it easier for companies to fire workers.