The European Union (EU) has witnessed an overall increase in economic sentiment during September 2010.

This is according to new figures from the region, which also indicate a rise in optimism within the eurozone.

During the month, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) rose slightly by 0.3 percentage points in the EU to 103.4 and climbed by 0.9 points among nations that have adopted the euro to 103.2.

The ESI now stands above the long-term average in both regions, with the largest gains during September seen in Germany, which witnessed a climb of two percentage points in the index, and Spain, with a 1.1 percentage point jump.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands saw an increase of 0.9 points over the month and France's ESI remained broadly unchanged.

Although growing sentiment could be good news for the jobs market, respondents to the survey were slightly more pessimistic about employment trends, while the retail and construction sectors witnessed improvements in optimism over the period in question.

Eurostat figures for the second quarter of 2010 indicated that employment with the eurozone and the EU remained relatively stable compared with the previous three months, with new jobs created in financial services and business activities, health, education and public administration.

Posted by Sarah Dixon