The pace of decline in the number of employed persons in euro area eased in the second quarter, according to the latest data released by Eurostat on Friday.

Employment fell 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter to 145 million in the second quarter, slower than a 0.4 percent drop recorded in the first quarter.

On an annual basis, employment fell 1 percent, at the same pace as in the previous quarter.

The number of employed in EU28, including Croatia which joined the bloc in July, remained unchanged from the first quarter. Employment declined 0.4 percent from second quarter of 2012.

Among the member states, Estonia, Lithuania, Portugal, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and Ireland recorded the highest growth rates compared with the previous quarter. Meanwhile, Cyprus, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Slovakia registered the largest decreases.