A slowing eurozone economy still isn’t taking the wind from the sails of the bloc’s labor market, according to Melanie Debono, senior Europe economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics. Gross domestic product contracted in the third quarter in the currency union, figures confirmed Tuesday, but employment levels rose regardless, continuing a trend seen in the previous quarter. The increase in employment paints a picture of resilience, Debono writes in a research note. “That’s great news for the economy, but it’s a challenge for the European Central Bank, which continues to voice worries about the potential boost to wage growth from a tight labour market,” she writes. With ECB policy makers closely watching the jobs market, the next quarterly wage-growth figures aren’t likely to point the bank toward interest rate cuts soon, Debono adds.
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