The number of persons employed increased by 1.3% in the euro area and by 1.2% in the EU28 in the third quarter of 2018 compared with the same period last year, according to data published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

When compared to the previous quarter, the employment rate increased by 0.2% in the euro area and in the EU28.

Among the member states for which data are available for the third quarter of 2018, Malta (4.9%), Cyprus and Luxembourg (both 3.7%) recorded the highest growth compared with the same quarter last year.

Based on seasonally adjusted figures, Eurostat estimates that, in the third quarter of 2018, 239.3 million people were employed in the EU28, of which 158.3 million were in the euro area. These are the highest levels of employment ever recorded in both areas.

Eurostat data for the third quarter also found that seasonally adjusted Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose by 1.6% in the euro area and by 1.8% in the EU28 in the third quarter of 2018.

Poland (5.7%), Latvia (5.3%), and Hungary (5.2%) recorded the biggest increases in GDP in the third quarter when compared to the same quarter last year.