Euro area employment fell further in the second quarter of this year, official figures showed on Monday.

The number of persons employed in the 16-nation euro area fell by 0.5 percent, representing 702, 000 persons, in the second quarter of 2009, compared with the previous quarter, according to first estimates from the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat.

At the same period, the number of persons employed in the 27-nation EU decreased by 0.6 percent or 1,443,000 persons.

In the first quarter of 2009, seasonally adjusted employment declined by 0.7 percent in the euro area and by 0.8 percent in the EU over the previous quarter, said Eurostat.

All sectors of the economy recorded a decrease in employment, except for other services, which mainly includes public administration, health and education and saw an increase of 0.5 percent in the euro zone and 0.4 percent in the EU.

The decreases were recorded in manufacturing, which fell by 1.6and 1.7 percent respectively in the euro zone and the EU.

Construction in the two areas dropped by 1.4 and 1.7 percent separately, financial services & business activities by 0.8 percent and 0.9 percent, agriculture by 0.9 and 0.4 percent and trade, transport & communication services by 0.5 and 0.7 percent.

Compared with the second quarter of 2008, employment fell by 1.8 percent in the euro zone and by 1.9 percent in the EU. In the first quarter of 2009, employment decreased by 1.2 percent in both zones compared on year-on-year basis.

Eurostat estimates showed that in the second quarter, 222.7 million people were employed in the EU, of which 145.6 million were in the euro area after seasonally adjusted.

On the same day, the European Commission released its interim forecast report, which said the economy in both zone would come out of recession in the third quarter of this year, one or two quarters ahead of what the EU's executive body had predicted earlier this year.

But it warned that situation would remain frail and uncertain because of high unemployment and dire public finance in the two areas.

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2009)