3.1 According to Eurostat, a Directorate-General of the European Commission (EC), the number of unemployed individuals in the European Union (EU) was at an all-time low of just over 16 million people in the first quarter of 2008. In the second quarter of 2013, this figure was at 26.5 million people, falling to 17 million people in the second quarter of 2018. During the crisis years of 2009–2013, unemployment was coupled with a low investment rate and economic decline. Research the Internet to explain how this has changed after 2013. Has the EU economy recovered? How has economic growth affected investment Access www.ec.europa.eu/eurostat for information on employment, investment, and real GDP growth.