(BRUSSELS) - The Eurozone unemployment rate was steady in December compared to November at a record low point of 7.2 percent of the workforce, according to official EU data released Thursday.

The rate, which the European Union's Eurostat data agency adjusted to take seasonal variations into account, is the lowest on its books going back to 1993.

The figure marked a sharp improvement from November 2006 when the percentage of jobseekers in the eurozone accounted for 7.9 percent of the workforce.

Long a major headache for eurozone politicians, unemployment in the eurozone has gradually eased since peaking at 9.1 percent March 2005, as the economy gathered pace.

Cyprus and Malta adopted the euro as their official currency this month, swelling the eurozone's ranks to 15 members.

In the 27-nation EU as a whole, the unemployment rate fell to 6.8 percent in December, down from 6.9 the previous month and well down on the 7.7 percent figure registered throughout the bloc in November 2006.

In 2007, 24 EU member states recorded a fall in their unemployment rate and three an increase. The largest falls were observed in Poland (11.8 percent to 8.1 percent) and Bulgaria (8.2 percent to 5.8 percent), and the highest increase in Spain (8.2 percent to 8.6 percent).

Further details - Eurostat press release

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