The number of persons employed increased in Cyprus by +0.7% in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the previous quarter, according to national accounts estimates published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Compared to the same quarter of 2016 employment increased by +3.4%.
In a quarterly basis the number of persons employed increased by 0.4% in both the euro area (EA19) and in the EU28 in the Q1 of 2017. In the fourth quarter of 2016, employment increased also by 0.4% in both areas.
Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, employment increased by 1.5% in the euro area and by 1.4% in the EU28 in the first quarter of 2017 (after +1.4% and +1.1% respectively in the fourth quarter of 2016).
Eurostat estimates that, in the first quarter of 2017, 234.2 million men and women were employed in the EU28, of which 154.8 million were in the euro area, highest levels ever recorded in both areas.
Among Member States, Estonia (+2.8%), Malta (+1.7%), Sweden (+1.2%) and Ireland (+1.1%) recorded the highest increases in the first quarter of 2017 compared with the previous quarter. In contrast, decreases in employment were observed in Latvia (-1.9%), Romania (-1.2%), Croatia (-0.6%) and Lithuania (-0.5%)
