Eurozone Jobless Rate Worst in 13 Years

Unemployment in the 17-member eurozone climbed to 10.9% in March, the worst reading since the currency was introduced in 1999, Eurostat reports. The jobless rate was 10.8% in February and 9.9% in March 2011.

About 17.4 million people in the region are looking for work, according to the EU statistics bureau. It says the jobless rate in March across the 27-country EU was unchanged at 10.2%.

Unemployment in March hit a 12-year high of 9.8% in Italy and a record 24.1% in Spain. Germany's jobless rate unexpectedly rose 0.1 point to 6.8%.

Economists say the worsening job market and elections in France and Greece this weekend intensify pressure on European governments to ease their austerity programs in favor of policies that focus on economic growth and job creation.