Euro area employment growth remains steady during the fourth quarter of 2021
Employment growth in the single currency area slowed at the end of last year but nevertheless continued to grow at a steady clip in annual terms.
According to Eurostat, in seasonally adjusted terms employment grew at a quarter-on-quarter pace of 0.5% over the three months to December, down from the 1.0% clip observed over the preceding three months.
In year-on-year terms, employment continued to grow at a 2.1% pace, the same as during the third quarter, following growth of 2.0% in the second quarter and a 1.7% drop during the first three months of 2021.
Employment growth in Italy was strongest year-on-year, rising by 6.4% during the last quarter of 2021, followed by growth of 5.4% in France and of 5.2% in Spain, whilst in Germany it grew by 1.4%.