The unemployment rate in the euro zone hit a record high of 10.1 percent in October, the European Union's (EU) statistical bureau Eurostat said on Tuesday.

It was further up from 10 percent in the previous month and higher than 9.9 percent registered one year ago.

Eurostat had estimated that the eurozone unemployment rate in September was 10.1 percent, but revised it down to 10 percent.

For the 27-nation EU, the jobless rate remained stable for the second consecutive month at 9.6 percent in October. It was 9.4 percent a year ago.

Eurostat estimated that 23.151 million men and women in the EU, of whom 15.947 million were in the euro zone, were unemployed in October.

Compared with September, the number of persons unemployed increased by 84,000 in the EU and by 80,000 in the euro zone. Compared with October 2009, unemployment rose by 590,000 in the EU and by 402,000 in the euro zone.

Among the member states, the lowest jobless rate was recorded in the Netherlands, which was 4.4 percent. The highest rate was seen in Spain, which was 20.7 percent in October.

In its autumn economic forecasts, the European Commission said on Monday that employment was set to improve next year in Europe as the economic recovery has taken hold, but unemployment was expected to remain high in the coming years.