Eurozone Economic Growth Slows in Third Quarter; Employment Numbers Stable

06:48 AM EST, 11/13/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Economic growth in the eurozone slowed in the third quarter, while employment figures remained stable compared with the prior three-month period. The euro area's gross domestic product grew 0.4% in the third quarter, after a 0.6% rise in the second quarter, according to Eurostat's second estimate published Friday. The latest seasonally adjusted reading is unchanged from the initial estimate. Data from the statistical office showed that France saw a quarterly GDP contraction of 0.1% following zero growth previously, while economic growth in Italy was flat after seeing a 0.2% increase earlier. In Germany, the eurozone's largest economy, GDP growth eased to 0.2% from 0.3%, while Spain's GDP expansion slowed to 0.6% from 0.7%. On a yearly basis, the eurozone economy expanded by 1.3% during the third quarter, matching the initial estimate, compared with the 1.2% growth in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the European Union's seasonally adjusted GDP growth eased to 0.5% in the third quarter from 0.7% in the prior three-month period. Annually, the EU economy grew 1.5%, against the previous 1.4% expansion. On the labor market front, Eurostat data released the same day showed that the number of employed individuals in the euro area showed zero growth in the third quarter, following a 0.1% uptick in the prior quarter. The number of employed persons in the EU also remained stable. On an annual basis, employment in the eurozone increased by 0.4%, after a 0.5% gain previously, while employment growth in the EU held steady at 0.4%.