Press Release: EU employment rate up to 66%, despite moderate economic slowdown

Analysis of recent Eurostat figures in a new report released on 18 February, 2008, confirmed the ongoing steady improvement in the European labour market. As a result, total employment reached 223 million, reflecting an annual increase of over 3.5 million and an increase of over 800,000 from the previous quarter. The EU labour market has continued to benefit from healthy levels of economic growth and ongoing confidence of firms, as well as improvements resulting from past structural reforms.