Euro Area Job Vacancy Rate at 2.9% in Q1 2024

In the first quarter of 2024, the job vacancy rate in the euro area was 2.9%, remaining unchanged from the last quarter of 2023 but down from 3.2% in the same quarter of the previous year. The EU-wide job vacancy rate was 2.6% in Q1 2024, also steady from the last quarter of 2023 and down from 2.9% in Q1 2023, according to Eurostat.

Sector-Specific Job Vacancy Rates

- Euro Area:

  - Industry and Construction: 2.5%

  - Services: 3.2%

- EU:

  - Industry and Construction: 2.3%

  - Services: 3.0%

Job Vacancy Rates by Member State

The highest job vacancy rates in Q1 2024 were observed in:

- Austria: 4.5%

- Belgium: 4.4%

- Netherlands: 4.4%

The lowest rates were recorded in:

- Romania: 0.7%

- Bulgaria: 0.8%

- Poland and Spain: 0.9%

Compared to Q1 2023, job vacancy rates increased in six Member States, remained stable in three, and decreased in eighteen. The largest increases were in:

- Greece: +1.6 pp

- Malta: +0.6 pp

The largest decreases were in:

- Finland and Sweden: -0.8 pp

- Luxembourg and Austria: -0.7 pp

- Czechia and Germany: -0.6 pp

Job Vacancy Rates by Economic Activity

The highest job vacancy rates for the business economy in Q1 2024 were in:

- Administrative and Support Service Activities (Section N): 

  - Euro Area: 4.7%

  - EU: 4.4%

- Accommodation and Food Service Activities (Section I):

  - Euro Area: 4.4%

  - EU: 4.1%

- Construction (Section F):

  - Euro Area: 3.8%

  - EU: 3.5%

- Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities (Section M):

  - Euro Area: 3.4%

  - EU: 3.2%

- Information and Communication (Section J):

  - Euro Area: 3.4%

  - EU: 3.1%

These insights are based on the latest data published by Eurostat, providing a comprehensive view of the labor market conditions in the EU and the euro area for the first quarter of 2024.