Euro Area Employment Edges Higher

The number of employed persons in the Euro Area rose by 0.1% from the previous quarter to 171.594 million in the second quarter of 2025, slowing slightly from the .2% drop in the previous period and in line with the preliminary estimate and initial market expectations. It was the 17th consecutive period of growth in employment in the currency bloc, extending the slow but consistent trend of increasing jobs in the European labor market. Among the largest economies, employment grew the most in Spain (0.7%), enough a fourth month of stall in Germany, a fresh stall in France, and a contraction in Italy (-0.1%). From the previous year, employment grew by 0.6%, revised slightly lower from the preliminary estimate of 0.7%.