The third quarter of 2010 saw employment rates in both the European Union (EU) as a whole and the eurozone remain stable, new figures show.

According to the data from Eurostat, the financial services and business activities sector witnessed a climb of 0.2 per cent across the 27 EU nations and 0.3 per cent within the countries that have adopted the euro.

Further jobs growth in the EU27 was seen in agriculture, which was up by 0.4 per cent over the three months and other services (which includes healthcare and education) stood 0.1 per cent higher.

However, falls were recorded in construction and manufacturing employment and year-on-year employment was down by 0.2 per cent in both the EU27 and the eurozone during the period in question, with 221.2 million individuals in work over the third quarter.

In addition, the statistical office has reported a 1.2 per cent rise in hourly labor costs across the EU during the third quarter of 2010, compared with a 1.5 per cent increase the previous three months.

Posted by Alex Donnell