(11 February 2016) – The 2015 winter edition of the Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review shows improvements on the EU labour market.

Employment and activity rates have continued to increase in the EU, across all population groups and most notably for older workers (55 – 59 years).
In the third quarter of 2015, the overall EU employment rate has even reached its pre-crisis level, although the progress is unevenly distributed among Member States.
In addition, unemployment has continued to recede and the share of long-term unemployed persons in total unemployment has slightly gone down.
The Quarterly Review also confirms that in the year to the third quarter, employment was up in all broad sectors except for agriculture and construction. However, the EU quarterly employment growth in the third quarter of 2015 was mainly driven by the service sectors.