In the first quarter last year, the number of persons employed in the euro area decreased by 0.5 percent while employment in the European Union (EU-27) decreased by 0.2 percent, both compared with the previous quarter, according to national accounts estimates published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union.
In the given quarter, employment fell one percent in the euro area and 0.4 percent in the EU-27 compared with the same quarter of the previous year. In fourth quarter of 2012, the seasonally adjusted employment rate had decreased by 0.3 percent in the euro area and by 0.1 percent in the EU-27, both quarter on quarter.
In the first quarter of 2013, employment in the construction sector fell 1.6 percent in the euro area and 1 percent in the EU-27 compared to the previous quarter. In the first quarter, employment in the manufacturing sector fell by 0.6 percent in the euro area and by 0.2 percent in the EU-27, compared to the previous quarter.