|
What the European Parliament should
be worried about
23 million jobless in Europe
BRUSSELS, Belgium.— Unemployment in the European
Union has continued to rise in the first part of
2010, with 9.6% of the economically active
population — the equivalent of 23 million people —
now jobless, the highest level since 2000, according
to the European Community’s statistics office
Eurostat.
 Of
that total, 15,763,000 were in the Eurozone, where
unemployment grew by one percentage point compared
to November, for a total of 10% of the economically
active population, the worst figure since August
1998.
Spain is leading the jobless rate in the Eurozone,
with 19.5%, almost twice the average of its 15
partners, with Spaniards under 25 years old
particularly affected: 44.5% of them are unemployed.
Eurostat estimates that unemployment in the Eurozone
remained at 9.9% in January, unchanging since
December. This shows that unemployment continues to
be one of the major challenges to reactivation in
Europe.
Meanwhile, the European Confederation of Trade
Unions reported that in Eastern Europe countries,
problems with employment emerged after the so-called
democratic opening and the economic shifts toward
neoliberalism.
According to that labor federation, the factors that
have influenced the increased poverty in that zone
stem from the fact that even holding a job does not
mean being able to satisfy all needs.
Many
trade unions and social organizations are concerned
about the current situation, which shows a growing
tendency, and are questioning whether the political
will exists to deal with the serious economic and
social situations that are affecting Europe’s
poorest people, a condition that constitutes a
violation of human rights and dignity.
Translation by Granma International
|
