Eurozone employment rate increased by 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013 compared with the previous quarter, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU) said Friday. Meanwhile, the number of persons employed also increased by 0.1 percent in the 28-member EU, according to the national accounts estimates published by Eurostat. Eurostat estimated that in the fourth quarter of 2013, 223.6 million men and women were employed in the EU, of which 145.0 million were in the euro area. In the third quarter of 2013, employment remained stable in the euro area and increased by 0.1 percent in the EU. Over the whole year 2013, employment decreased by 0.9 percent in the euro area and by 0.4 percent in the EU. Among the EU member states, the highest increases in employment in the fourth quarter of 2013 were registered in Lithuania at 1.0 percent, Ireland and Portugal both at 0.7 percent, while the largest decrease was recorded in Estonia at 1.3 percent.