Press Release: Employment expansion appears to be moderating further following economic slowdown, but remains positive

An analysis of recent data – released by the European Commission on 22 September, 2008 – shows a moderation in overall labour market performance in the EU following the recent slowdown in economic activity. Quarterly employment growth fell to 0.2% in the second quarter of 2008, while the unemployment rate stabilised at 6.8%. Despite the slowdown, by the second quarter overall employment had still increased by 2.9 million from a year earlier. However, recent labour market performances vary substantially across Member States.