Asia-N Europe demand in decline, but jobless Asia-Med in free fall

Time:2013-01-15 Browse:50 Author:RISINGSUN
RATES of unemployment in Spain (26.6 per cent), Greece (26 per cent), Portugal (56.5 per cent) and Italy (57.6 per cent) have thrown prospects for the Asia-Mediterranean trade lane in 2013 into steep decline.


Northern eurozone states fared better with Germany`s unemployment rate at 5.4 per cent and the Netherlands at 5.6 per cent, a difference reflected in the latest Container Trades Statistics data covering November 2012.

 
Asia-Europe trade numbers were down year on year 6.5 per cent overall, but Asia-Med fell 9.4 per cent in November after a 14.4 per cent slide the month before, notes London`s Containerisation International.

 
Unemployment hit an all-time high in November across 17-nation single currency bloc to reach 11.8 per cent, meaning that 18.8 million people are without a job in the eurozone.