In the second quarter of 2020, the quarter when COVID-19 containment measures have been widely implemented by Member States, the job vacancy rate in the euro area and in the European Union (EU)was 1.6%, down from 1.9% in the previous quarter and from 2.3% in the second quarter of 2019, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
In the euro area, the job vacancy rate in the second quarter of 2020 was 1.3% in industry and construction, and 1.7% in services. In the EU,the rate was 1.4% in industry and construction, and 1.7% in services.
Member States
Among the Member States for which comparable data are available (see country notes), the highest job vacancy rates in the second quarter of 2020 were recorded in Czechia (5.4%), Belgium (3.1%) and Austria (2.6%). In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Greece (0.3%), as well as in Ireland, Spain, Poland, Portugal and Romania (all 0.7%).
Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate fell in twenty-five Member States, remained stable in Bulgaria and increased in France (by 0.1 percentage points (pp)). The largest decreases were registered in Malta (‑1.6 pp), Germany (-1.2 pp), Latvia and the Netherlands (both -1.0 pp).