Eurozone, EU Employment Rates Posts Slight Increase in Q1 2014

Eurozone employment rate increased by 0.1% in Q1 of 2014 compared with the previous quarter, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, said Friday.

Meanwhile, the number of persons employed also increased by 0.2% in the 28-member EU, according to the national accounts data.

According to estimates from Eurostat, 224.2 million men and women were employed in the EU, of which 146.1 million were in the euro area, in Q1 of 2014.

Among the EU member states, the highest increase in employment in the first quarter was registered in Hungary at 1.5%, while the largest decrease was recorded in Cyprus at 1.2%.

The European statistical office reports a slight improvement of Bulgaria's labor market as the increase in employment in Q1 of 2014 was 0.2% following a 0.1% drop in end-2013.

Thus the negative employment trend in Bulgaria in the H2 2013 has stopped.