Eurozone unemployment rises to 11.8 pct, Greece shows biggest rise as its rate soars to 26 pct

BRUSSELS – Unemployment in the 17 European Union countries that use the euro reached a record 11.8 percent in November, as the number of jobless in the 27-country EU topped 26 million for the first time since the financial crisis began three years ago.

The figures illustrate the task facing EU leaders to repair the region's economies. While the threat that the single currency union might crumble seems to have receded, joblessness continues to rise.

The biggest rise was in Greece, where the number of unemployed soared to 26 percent in September, up 7 percentage points from November 2011.

The eurozone unemployment rate was up 0.1 percentage points on October, and up from 10.6 percent a year ago. The rate for the EU was unchanged on October at 10.7 percent.