The number of persons employed increased by 0.3% in the euro area (EA19) and by 0.2% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2017 compared with the previous quarter. In the third quarter of 2017, employment increased by 0.4% in the euro area and by 0.2% in the EU28.
Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment increased by 1.6% in the euro area and by 1.5% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2017 (after +1.7% and +1.6% respectively in the third quarter of 2017).
Among Member States for which data are available for the fourth quarter of 2017, Malta (+1.8%), Estonia (+1.6%), Finland (+1.2%), Luxembourg (+1.1%) and Latvia (+0.9%) recorded the highest increases compared with the previous quarter.
In contrast, decreases were observed in Italy, Poland (both -0.3%), Greece and Lithuania (both -0.1%), while employment remained stable in the Czech Republic.
Eurostat estimates that, in the fourth quarter of 2017, 236.8 million men and women were employed in the EU28, of which 156.7 million were in the euro area. These are the highest levels ever recorded in both areas.
The euro area (EA19) includes Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.
The European Union (EU28) includes Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.