site.btaBulgaria Ranks Third in EU for Lowest Job Vacancy Rate in Q1 2025

In the first quarter of 2025, Bulgaria ranked third among European Union (EU) Member States with the lowest job vacancy rate (0.9%), an increase of 0.2 percentage points (pp) compared to the last quarter of 2024, according to preliminary data released by Eurostat on Monday.

The lowest rates were also observed in Romania (0.6%) and Poland (0.8%), followed by Spain (0.9%).

The highest job vacancy rates in the same period were recorded in the Netherlands (4.2%) and Belgium (4.1%), followed by Austria (3.6%). 

In the first quarter of 2025, the job vacancy rate was 2.4% in the euro area, a decrease from 2.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and from 2.9% in the first quarter of 2024. The job vacancy rate in the EU was 2.2%, dropping from 2.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and down from 2.6% in the first quarter of 2024.

In the first quarter of 2025, the job vacancy rate in the European Union stood at 1.9% in industry and construction and at 2.5% in the services sector. In the euro area, the rate was slightly higher – 2.1% in industry and construction, and 2.7% in services.

Compared to the same quarter of 2024, the job vacancy rate rose in five EU member states, remained unchanged in two, and decreased in 20 countries. The highest increase was reported in Lithuania (+0.2 pp), followed by Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, and Portugal (each +0.1 pp). The sharpest declines were registered in Greece and Austria (both -0.9 pp), followed by Germany and Sweden (both -0.8 pp).