The unemployment rate in austerity-hit Greece rose to record high of 21.8 percent in January this year, up from 21.8 in December, the Greek statistics agency ESTAT announced on Thursday.

The figure is almost double of what recorded two years ago, when the debt crisis that has hit the country hard, was still at its beginning, local analysts noted.

According to the official data, young people are most affected in the bleak job market, with some 50.8 percent of youth aged 15-24 years old jobless.

Labor unions and independent experts estimate that actual unemployment figures could be higher than government issued data, blaming the increase on the austerity measures imposed over the past two years to tackle the country's debt crisis.

Budget cuts and tax hikes introduced by Athens as part of efforts to secure international rescue packages to avert a Greek default, have strangled businesses and fuelled unemployment.

Greek and foreign officials and economists argue that the path to reverse the trend and boost employment and growth now is through reforms and policies to support development, beyond wage cuts and tax increases.