(17 December 2018) – The winter edition of the Employment and Social Development in Europe (ESDE) Quarterly Review published today, confirms overall positive labour market developments.
.Total employment hit a new record of 239.3 million people in the third quarter of 2018. The largest share of new jobs is permanent and full time jobs. The number of full-time workers increased by 2.3 million, while the number of part-time workers remained stable.
EU employment increased in all sectors except agriculture compared to the same quarter of the previous year. The service sector recorded the greatest rise: 730,000 people more employed in wholesale trade alone and 1.8 million more in other services.
The unemployment rate continued to decrease: in October 2018, it stood at 6.7% in the EU and 8.1% in the euro area, reflecting a drop by 0.7 percentage points in both cases compared to a year earlier.