The number of persons employed in the euro area (EA16) and in the EU27 was stable in the second quarter of 2010 compared with the previous quarter, according to national accounts estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In the first quarter of 2010, employment was also stable in the euro area and declined by 0.2% in the EU27. These figures are seasonally adjusted.

Falls in employment were recorded in agriculture (-0.9% in the euro area and -0.4% in the EU27), manufacturing (-0.5% and -0.3% respectively), construction (-0.3% and -0.4%) and trade, transport & communication services (-0.2% in both zones). Employment in financial services & business activities increased by 0.6% in both the euro area and the EU27, and grew by 0.2% and 0.3% respectively in other services (which mainly includes public administration, health and education).

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment fell by 0.6% in both the euro area and the EU27 in the second quarter of 2010. In the first quarter of 2010, employment decreased by 1.2% and 1.5% respectively.

Eurostat estimates that, in the second quarter of 2010, 220.7 million men and women were employed in the EU27, of which 144.3 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.