In December 2011, the jobless rate was 7.5%.
An estimated 661,000 people were unemployed and looking for work in December, down from 674,000 a month earlier. Male jobless rate was 6.9%, while female unemployment reached 6%.
The figures refer to people aged between 15 and 74 and are based on the definition recommended by the International Labor Organization.
The unemployment rate for people aged 25-74 was 5.1% in December, the data showed. The latter category made up for 71.8% of the total jobless people in the last month of 2012.