The euro area unemployment rate dropped slightly in December, data from Eurostat showed on Friday.
The unemployment rate fell to 6.2 percent in December, while the rate was expected to remain unchanged at 6.3 percent.
The number of unemployed decreased 61,000 from November. Compared to last year, unemployment dropped 5,000 to 10.792 million in December, data showed.
The youth unemployment rate dropped slightly to 14.3 percent from 14.4 percent in November.
The overall unemployment rate in the EU was stable at 5.9 percent in December. The jobless rate among young people aged below 25 posted 14.7 percent, down from 14.9 percent in November.