FX.co ★ Euro Area Employment Rises More than Expected

According to a preliminary estimate, the number of employed persons in the Euro Area increased by 0.2% from the previous quarter to 176.13 million in the final quarter of 2025, beating market expectations of a 0.1% rise. This marked the bloc’s 19th consecutive quarter of employment growth, extending a slow but steady upward trend in jobs across the European labor market, despite concerns that a stronger euro could weigh on orders for major employers. Among the largest economies in the Eurozone, job creation remained particularly robust in Spain (0.8% vs. 0.7% in Q3), which helped offset a second consecutive quarter of contraction in Germany (-0.1% vs. -0.1%). Germany has now gone 10 straight quarters without any significant increase in employment.