Statistical office of the European Union said, the number of employed persons increased by 0.3% in the euro area and by 0.2% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with the previous quarter. In the third quarter of 2018, employment had grown by 0.2% in both the euro area and in the EU28.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment increased by 1.2% in both the euro area and the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2018, after +1.3% and +1.2% respectively in the third quarter of 2018.

Over the whole year 2018, employment rose by 1.4% in the euro area and by 1.3% in the EU28, based on unadjusted quarterly data. The annual growth rate for 2017 was +1.6% for both the euro area and the EU28.