Eurozone jobs fell at end of last year, official data shows

Employment levels in the countries sharing the euro fell at the end of last year as the region lurched deep into recession, official EU data released on Monday showed.

The number of employed people in the eurozone fell by 0.3 per cent in the final three months of last year compared to the previous quarter, the EU Eurostat data agency said.

After the number of employed people fell 0.1 per cent in the third quarter, the fourth quarter's decline marked the first time on Eurostat records going back to 1995 that employment levels have declined for two consecutive quarters.

Eurostat said the number of employed people in the eurozone fell by 453,000 in the fourth quarter to 145.4 million people.

Meanwhile, the number of employed people in the 27-nation EU also fell by 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter or by 672,000 people to 225.3 million.