11M jobless in E.E.C.

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 9

11M jobless in E.E.C.

NZPA-Reuter Brussels

The number of jobless in the European Economic Community soared to 11.5 million last month, the highest since World War 2, but the inflation rate fell to its lowest for more than three years. Economic recession had pushed the unemployment total to 10.3 per cent of the working population in October, .compared with a revised 10.2, per cent the previous month, the Community’s statistics office said yesterday. "■ The total had excluded Greece, which joined the Community only last year

and whose figures were not comparable with other member States, the office said.

Officials said that the gloomy jobless total — expected to go on rising — had been balanced by clear signs that governments’ tough antkinflation policies were at last beginning to pay off.

The rate of consumer price rises was 0.9 per cent last month, with the increase for the 12 months ending in October falling to 10.1 per cent, the lowest since mid--1979, the statistics bureau said.

Economists at European Economic Community headquarters, in Brussels said that the dole queues would get

longer as economies continued to stagnate in 1983. - But a meeting of Finance and Employment Ministers last week .'pledged to keep the fight against price rises and excessive public spending at the forefront of economic priorities. The statistics office said that West Germany and the Netherlands had led the community in holding down inflation in October, with prices in the shops rising just 0.3 per cent. France, the United Kingdom, and Belgium also had recorded increases below the Community’s average. , Inflation rose fastest in Greece and Italy, with Octo-

ber price rises 2.4 and 2 per cent respectively above September.

Young people had been hit worst by the shrinking jobs market with 20 per cent, or double the average, out of work among under-255, the officials said.

The office said that the sharpest rises in unemployment last month had been in Luxemburg and Denmark, which registered increases over September of 16.4 and 10.5 per cent respectively, compared with a Community average of 1.9 per cent. The highest jobless rates were in Belgium (14.8 per cent), Ireland (13.5 per cent), and Britain (12.8 per cent).