The COVID-19 pandemic dealt the hardest blow to the arts and entertainment sector as well as the retail, wholesale and food services in the European Union (EU), Eurostat statistics issued on Wednesday revealed.

According to the EU's statistical office, the sectors were hit both in terms of gross value added (GVA) and the number of hours worked by employees during the pandemic.

Declines in compensation of employees and employment were observed in most industries, but to a lesser extent, reflecting government support schemes, showed the Eurostat report about the impact of COVID-19 on industries.

Information and communication activities saw a different trend with 0.9 percent increase in the number of persons employed and 1.1 percent increase in the compensation of employees.

The same trend was observed, though to a lesser extent, for public administration, defense, education, human health and social work activities, which saw a 0.3 percent increase in the number of persons employed and 0.5 percent increase in compensation.

GVA and hours worked decreased in all industries in the first quarter of 2020 across the EU, Eurostat said.