site.btaBulgaria and Romania with Lowest Job Vacancy Rate in EU in Q4 of 2023

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the job vacancy rate in the euro area was 2.7%, down from 2.9% in the third quarter and 3.1% in the fourth quarter of 2022. The lowest job vacancy rates in the fourth quarter of 2023 were registered in Bulgaria and Romania - 0.7% in both countries, according to data published by Eurostat on Friday.

In the euro area, the job vacancy rate in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 2.5% in industry and construction, and 3.0% in services. In the EU, the rate was 2.3% in industry and construction, and 2.7% in services. 

Among the Member States for which comparable data are available (see country notes), the highest job vacancy rates in the fourth quarter of 2023 were recorded in Belgium (4.4%), Netherlands (4.2%), Austria (4.1%) and Germany (3.9%). By contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Bulgaria and Romania, Spain and Poland (0.8% in both of them), Ireland (1.0%) and Slovakia (1.1%).

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate increased in five Member States, remained stable in three Member States and decreased in nineteen Member States. The largest increases were observed in Cyprus (+0.9%), Greece (+0.8%) and Malta (+0.4%). The largest decreases were recorded in Austria (-1.0%), Luxembourg (-0.9%), Czechia (-0.8%).

The highest job vacancy rates, for both the EU and the euro area, were recorded in:

• "Administrative and support service activities" that includes temporary employment agencies (4.4% in the euro area, 4.2% in the EU),
• "Construction" (3.8% in the euro area, 3.4% in the EU),
• "Professional, scientific and technical activities" (3.4% in the euro area, 3.1% in the EU),
• "Information and communication" (3.3% in the euro area, 3.0% in the EU) and
• "Accommodation and food service activities" (3.0% in the euro area, 2.9% in the EU).