In the second quarter of 2026, the number of employed persons in the Euro Area increased by 0.1% from the previous quarter to 176.448 million, matching both the pace recorded in the first quarter and market expectations, as well as the flash estimate. This marked the bloc’s 21st consecutive quarter of employment growth, extending a slow but steady expansion in the European labor market despite economic headwinds from high energy prices and weak productivity.
Job creation remained particularly strong in Spain, where employment grew by 0.5% (up from 0.3% in Q1). In France, net employment was broadly flat for a third consecutive period. By contrast, employment in Germany declined for the fifth quarter in a row (-0.1%, unchanged from the previous quarter), while in Italy employment growth, though still solid, slowed to 0.3% from 0.5% in Q1. On an annual basis, Eurozone employment growth was stable at 0.5%.
