Employment up by 0.4% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU28

The number of persons employed increased by 0.4% in the euro area (EA19) and by 0.3% in the EU28 in the third quarter of 2017 compared with the previous quarter, according to national accounts estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the second quarter of 2017, employment increased by 0.4% in the euro area and by 0.5% in the EU28. These figures are seasonally adjusted.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment increased by 1.7% in the euro area and by 1.8% in the EU28 in the third quarter of 2017 (after +1.6% and +1.7% respectively in the second quarter of 2017).

Eurostat estimates that, in the third quarter of 2017, 236.3 million men and women were employed in the EU28, of which 156.3 million were in the euro area. These are the highest levels ever recorded in both areas. These figures are seasonally adjusted.

Employment growth in Member States
Among Member States for which data are available for the third quarter of 2017, Estonia (+1.3%), Croatia and Malta (both +1.1%) as well as Bulgaria (+1.0%) recorded the highest increases compared with the previous quarter. In contrast, decreases were observed in Lithuania (-0.5%) and Poland (-0.3%), while employment remained stable in both Romania and the United Kingdom