The number of people in employment in the European Union rose by 0.6%. (Photo: Maison Moderne/archives)

The number of people in employment in the European Union rose by 0.6%.  (Photo: Maison Moderne/archives)

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, announced on Tuesday that GDP in the European Union rose by 1.9% for the second quarter of 2021. Employment also increased, by 0.6%, as the bloc recovers from the pandemic’s economic shock.

GDP increased by 2% in the euro area in the second quarter of this year, Eurostat said, and by 1.9% in the European Union compared to the previous quarter, which saw a decrease of 0.3% in the euro area and 0.1% in the EU. Luxembourg  seasonally adjusted GDP was unavailable for the second quarter of 2021, however in the first quarter of the year, it stood at 4.9%. A substantial increase compared to 1.7% in the last quarter of  2020.

Compared to the year 2020, the GDP of the euro area and the EU grew by 13.6% and 13.2% respectively.

Looking at the US economy over the same period, GDP increased by 1.6% in the second quarter. But also by 12.2% year-on-year.

Employment growth

The number of employed people rose by 0.5% in the euro area and by 0.6% in the EU in the second quarter of 2021, compared to the previous quarter. This follows a decrease of 0.2% at the beginning of 2021. Compared to 2020, employment also grew by 1.8% in the euro area and the EU.

"These data provide a picture of labour input consistent with the output and income measure in national accounts,” Eurostat said.

This article in French on Paperjam. It has been translated and edited for Delano.