The number of persons employed in the euro area decreased by 0.7 percent while employment in the European Union (EU-27) decreased by 0.5 percent in the third quarter of 2012 compared with the corresponding quarter of 2011, according to national accounts estimates published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union.
Compared to the previous quarter, employment fell 0.2 percent both in the euro area and in the EU-27 in the third quarter this year. In the second quarter of 2012, the seasonally adjusted employment rate was stable in the euro area, while it had increased by 0.1 percent in the EU-27, both quarter on quarter.
In the third quarter of the current year, the largest decrease in employment was recorded in the construction sector with a fall of 1.5 percent in the euro area and 1.3 percent in the EU-27 compared to previous quarter. In the third quarter, employment in the manufacturing sector fell by 0.1 percent in the euro area and by 0.2 percent in the EU-27, compared to the previous quarter.