The job vacancy rate in the European Union (EU28) was 2.2 percent and 2.1 percent in the euro zone (E19) in the second quarter of 2018, stable compared with the previous quarter, while in Croatia the job vacancy rate was slightly up on the year but it was down quarter on quarter, Eurostat, statistical office of the EU, published on Tuesday.

In the EU28, the job vacancy rate was 2.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018, stable compared with the previous quarter and up from 2.0 percent in Q2 2017.

The job vacancy rate in the EA19 was 2.1 percent in the Q2 2018, stable compared with the previous quarter and up from 1.9 percent in Q2 2017.

In Croatia, seasonally unadjusted job vacancy rate in the second quarter of 2018 slid from 2.1 percent to 1.9 percent.

The highest job vacancy rates in the second quarter of 2018 were recorded in the Czech Republic (5.4 percent), Belgium (3.5 percent), the Netherlands (3.1 percent), and Germany (2.9 percent).

In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Greece (0.7 percent), Bulgaria Spain and Portugal (all 0.9 percent).

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate in the second quarter of 2018 rose in twenty member states, remained stable in Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Romania, but fell in Estonia by 0.3 percent.

The largest increases were registered in the Czech Republic (+1.8 percent), Latvia (+0.8 percent), Cyprus (+0.6 percent), Hungary, the Netherlands, and Finland (all +0.5 percent).

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