In the fourth quarter of 2021, the job vacancy rate was 2.8% in the euro area, up from 2.6% in the previous quarter and 1.9% in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The job vacancy rate in the EU was 2.6% in the fourth quarter of 2021, up from 2.4% in the previous quarter and 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Compared with the fourth quarter of 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak, the job vacancy rates have increased by 0.6 p.p. in the euro area and by 0.5 p.p. in the EU.
In the euro area, the job vacancy rate in the fourth quarter of 2021 was 2.6% in industry and construction and 3.1% in services. In the EU, the rate was 2.5% in industry and construction and 2.9% in services.
Member States
Among the Member States for which comparable data are available, the highest job vacancy rates in the fourth quarter of 2021 were recorded in Czechia (4.9%), Belgium (4.7%), the Netherlands (4.2%), Austria (4.0%) and Germany (3.9%). By contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Bulgaria, Greece and Spain (0.7% in the three of them).
Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate increased in twenty-five Member States, decreased in Czechia (-0.1 pp) and remained stable in Bulgaria. The largest increases were observed in Belgium (+1.8 pp), the Netherlands (+1.7 pp) and Austria (+1.4 pp).
