The jobless rate in the euro area reached the highest on record as the festering debt crisis and deepening economic slump prompted companies to cut jobs. Unemployment in the economy of the 17 nations using the euro held at 11.2 percent in June, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said today. That’s the highest since the data series started in 1995. It had previously reported May unemployment at 11.1 percent. The euro-area inflation rate remained at 2.4 percent in July, the same as in the previous two months, Eurostat said in a separate report. Policy makers are weighing options to counter the turmoil ... (full story)