Job vacancy rate up 0.8% in Greece, 1.8% in Europe

The job vacancy rate in the euro area (EA18) was 1.8% in the fourth quarter of 2014, up from 1.6% recorded both in the previous quarter and in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. The job vacancy rate in the EU28 was 1.7% in the fourth quarter of 2014, up from 1.6% in the previous quarter and from 1.5% in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Among the Member States for which comparable data are available, the highest job vacancy rates in the fourth quarter of 2014 were recorded in Germany (3.2%), the United Kingdom (2.4%) and Belgium (1.9%), and the lowest in Cyprus (0.3%), Latvia (0.4%) and Poland (0.5%).

Among Member States, the job vacancy rate in the fourth quarter of 2014 rose in twenty one, remained stable in five and fell in two compared to the fourth quarter of 2013. The largest increases were registered in Malta (+1.2%), the Czech Republic (+0.7%), Germany and the United Kingdom (both +0.4%). The only decreases were recorded in Belgium (-0.5%) and Austria (-0.1%). Greece noted a slight 0.8% increase.