In February 2012, the jobless rate was 7.3%.
An estimated 674,000 people were unemployed and looking for work in February, up from 660,000 a month earlier. Male jobless rate was 7%, while female unemployment reached 6.3%.
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 5.3% in February, the data showed. The latter category made up for 72.4% of the total jobless people in the last month of 2012.