site.btaBulgaria, Romania with Lowest Job Vacancy Rate in EU in Q3 of 2024

The job vacancy rate in the third quarter of 2024 stood at 2.3% in the EU and at 0.8% in Bulgaria, making it the Member State with the lowest job vacancy rate alongside Romania (0.8%), according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, on Monday.

In the third quarter of 2024, the job vacancy rate in the EU was 2.3% in the third quarter of 2024, down from 2.4% in the second quarter of 2024 and down from 2.7% in the third quarter of 2023. The job vacancy rate was 2.5% in the euro area, down from 2.6% in the second quarter of 2024 and down from 3.0% in the third quarter of 2023.

In the EU, the job vacancy rate in the third quarter of 2024 was 2% in industry and construction, and 2.5% in services. In the eurozone, the rate was 2.1% in industry and construction, and 2.7% in services, Eurostat reported.

In the EU, the highest job vacancy rates in the third quarter of 2024 were recorded in the Netherlands (4.3%), Belgium (4.2%), and Austria (3.8%). By contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Romania and Bulgaria (0.8% in both of them) and in Poland and Spain (0.9% in both of them).

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate increased in five Member States, remained stable in six Member States and decreased in 16 Member States. The largest increases were observed in Cyprus (+0.6 pp) and Greece (+0.5 pp). The largest decreases were recorded in Germany (-1.1 pp) and Austria (-0.8 pp).

The highest job vacancy rates, for both the euro area and the EU, were recorded in "Administrative and support service activities" that includes temporary employment agencies (4.1% in the euro area, 3.9% in the EU), "Construction" (3.2% in the euro area, 2.9% in the EU), "Information and communication" (3.0% in the euro area, 2.8% in the EU), "Professional, scientific and technical activities" (2.9% in the euro area, 2.7% in the EU), and "Accommodation and food service activities" (2.8% in the euro area, 2.7% in the EU).