The FINANCIAL — The job vacancy rate in the euro area (EA19) was 2.0% in the fourth quarter of 2017, up from 1.9% recorded in the previous quarter and from 1.7% in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
In the EU28, the job vacancy rate was 2.0% in the fourth quarter of 2017, stable compared with the previous quarter, but up from 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2016.
In the euro area, the job vacancy rate in the fourth quarter of 2017 was 1.7% in industry and construction, and 2.3% in services. In the EU28, the rate was 1.8% in industry and construction, and 2.3% in services.
Member States
Among the Member States for which comparable data are available (see country notes), the highest job vacancy rates in the fourth quarter of 2017 were recorded in the Czech Republic (4.4%), Belgium (3.4%), Germany (2.8%), the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (both 2.6%). In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Greece (0.1%), Spain (0.7%), Bulgaria and Portugal (both 0.8%).
Compared with the same quarter of the previous year and among the Member States for which data are comparable over time (see country notes), the job vacancy rate in the fourth quarter of 2017 rose in twenty-three Member States, remained stable in Bulgaria and Spain, but fell in Greece and Romania (both -0.2 percentage points – pp). The largest increases were registered in the Czech Republic (+1.4 pp), the Netherlands (+0.6 pp), Belgium, Hungary, Austria and Finland (all +0.5 pp).