The number of persons employed increased by 0.1% in the euro area (EA18) and by 0.2% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the previous quarter, according to national accounts estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

 In the third quarter of 2014, employment increased by 0.2% in the euro area and 0.3% in the EU28. These figures are seasonally adjusted.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment increased by 0.9% in the euro area and by 1.0% in the EU28 in the fourth quarter of 2014 (after +0.7% and +0.9% respectively in the third quarter of 2014).

Eurostat estimates that, in the fourth quarter of 2014, 226.7 million men and women were employed in the EU28, of which 148.6 million were in the euro area. These figures are seasonally adjusted.

These quarterly data on employment provide a picture of labour input consistent with the output and income measure of national accounts.

But Malta is said to have recorded a marginal decrease, according to Eurostat.

It says: among Member States for which data are available, Spain and Latvia (both +0.7%), Ireland and Slovakia (both +0.6%) recorded the highest increases in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared with the previous quarter.

Portugal (-1.4%), Cyprus (-0.6%), Poland (-0.3%), Italy (-0.2%) and Malta (-0.1%) recorded decreases.