Brussels, 14/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - A further sign that the labour market has deteriorated in Europe is that the number of people employed fell by 0.5% in the eurozone during the first quarter 2013 compared to the previous quarter, according to estimates published on Friday 14 June by Eurostat, the EU statistical office. Compared to the first quarter of the previous year, employment was down 1.0% in the eurozone. This is the seventh quarter in a row during which employment has plummeted.
The number of people employed decreased by 0.2% in the EU27 during the first quarter 2013 compared to the quarter before that. During the fourth quarter 2012, employment was down 0.1% in the EU27. Eurostat estimates that, during the first quarter of 2013, 221.9 million men and women were in employment in the EU27, with 145.1 million of those being in the eurozone. The figures given have been adjusted for seasonal changes.
Among those member states for which data are available, Estonia (2.3%) recorded the highest growth rates during the first quarter 2013 compared with the previous quarter, whereas Greece (-2.3%), Portugal (-2.2%), Spain and Cyprus (each -1.3%), and Italy (-1.2%) registered the largest decreases. Although employment did progress in Germany by 0.2% during the first quarter, it was down 0.1% in France, and 0.1% in Belgium and 0.2% in the Netherlands. (LC/transl.jl)