Euro area employment stable, EU down by 0.2%

In the same period, the number of persons employed in the EU27 decreased by 0.2 per cent (455,000 persons). In the fourth quarter of 2009, employment declined by 0.2% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU27.

Malta was one of four EU Member States that has not presented the employment figures when compared to the previous quarter. The other three countries that failed to present their quarterly figures were Bulgaria, Romania and Sweden.

The EU country which registered the most negative unemployment rate during the first quarter of 2010 was Lithuania with -3.5%, followed by Latvia with -2.7%, and Estonia with -2.0%.

Slovakia is next with -1.1%, the Czech Republic with -0.9%, Slovenia with -0.8%, Hungary with -0.6% and the United Kingdom with -0.2 per cent.

Another three Member states – Spain, Belgium and Portugal – registered no growth rate during the first quarter of 2010 when compared to the previous quarter.

Finally, another four Member States registered a slight growth in employment during the first quarter of 2010 – Denmark and Austria with 0.1% respectively, Italy with 0.4% and Finland with 0.5%.

Falls in employment during the first quarter of 2010 were recorded in manufacturing (-1.0% in the euro area and -1.2% in the EU27) and construction (-1.5% and -2.3% respectively).

Employment in trade, transport and communication services remained stable in the euro area, but decreased by 0.2% in the EU27 when compared to the previous quarter.

The latest Eurostat unemployment figures for Q1 2010 showed that financial services and business activities increased by 0.5% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU27.

Other services, which mainly include public administration, health and education, rose by 0.5% and 0.4% respectively during the first three months of 2010.

Agriculture rose by 0.2% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU27.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment fell by 1.2% in the euro area and by 1.5% in the EU27 in the first quarter of 2010.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, employment decreased by 2.0% and 2.1% respectively.

Eurostat estimated that, in the first quarter of 2010, 220.5 million men and women were employed in the EU27, of which 144.3 million were in the euro area.

These quarterly data on employment provide a picture of labour input consistent with the output and income measure of national accounts.