Job vacancy rate in the EU28 increased in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the previous quarter, and compared to the first quarter of 2017. In Croatia the rate inched up in relation to the previous quarter, but unchanged year-on-year, according to data released on Tuesday by Eurostat, the statistics bureau of the European Union.
The job vacancy rate reflects the relationship between supply and demand in the job market, and points to potential mismatches between skills of unemployed people and those sought by employers. Higher rates indicate unmet demand for labour.
In the EU28, the job vacancy rate was 2.2 percent in the first three months of 2018, up from 2.0 percent in Q4 2017, and from 1.9 percent in the first three months of 2017. The job vacancy rate in the euro zone (EA19) was 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2018, up from 2.0 percent recorded in the previous quarter, and from 1.9 percent in the first quarter of 2017.
In Croatia, the seasonally unadjusted job vacancy rate in Q1 2018 inched up to 2.1 percent, from 1.5 percent in Q4 2017, and unchanged from Q1 2017.
By sector, in industry and construction the rate was 2.0 percent across the EU, and 2.4 percent in the service sector.
VEZANE VIJESTI
Among the 24 EU countries for which comparable data sets are available (excluding Denmark, France, Italy and Malta ), the highest job vacancy rates in the first quarter of 2018 were recorded in the Czech Republic (4.8 percent), Belgium (3.5 percent), Germany, and Sweden (2.9 percent each). These were followed by the Netherlands, and Austria (2.8 percent each).
In contrast, the lowest rates were in Greece (0.7 percent), Spain, and Portugal (0.9 percent each), Bulgaria, and Ireland (1.0 percent each).
Compared with the same period the year before, the job vacancy rate in Q1 2018 rose in sixteen EU countries. It remained unchanged in eight countries (Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland, Croatia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal and Finland) and fell in Greece, Estonia, Malta, and Romania.
The largest year-on-year increases were registered in the Czech Republic (by 1.7 percent), Austria (0.6 percent), Latvia, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Slovenia (by 0.5 percent each).
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