The Netherlands boasted the highest job vacancy rate in the EU in the second quarter of 2025, at 4.2%, new data from Eurostat has found.
Other EU member states to report a high job vacancy rate include Belgium (3.9%), Austria (3.4%), Cyprus (3.3%), and Malta (3.2%).
At the other end of the scale, the lowest rates were observed in Romania (0.6%), Spain (0.8%), Poland (0.8%), and Bulgaria (0.9%).
Job vacancy rate in the EU
Across the EU as a whole, the job vacancy rate stood at 2.1% in the second quarter of this year, compared with 2.2% in Q1 2025 and 2.4% in the corresponding period in 2024. In the euro area, the rate stood at 2.2%, down from 2.4% in Q1 2025 and 2.6% in Q2 2024.
Year-on-year, job vacancy rates increased in five EU member states, including Cyprus (+0.3 percentage points), Lithuania (+0.2 pp), Malta (+0.2 pp), Bulgaria (+0.1 pp) and Estonia (+0.1 pp).
Job vacancy rates remained stable in three countries, while 19 countries saw declines, led by Greece (-0.9 pp), Finland (-0.7 pp), Germany (-0.6 pp) and Austria (-0.6 pp). Data was unavailable for Denmark.
Looking at job vacancy rates by segment, in the euro area, vacancies stood at 2.0% in industry and construction and 2.4% in services. For the EU, the corresponding figures were 1.8% and 2.3%, Eurostat‘s data showed. Read more here.
Job Vacancy Rates by EU Member State – Q2 2025 (%)
| Country | Job Vacancy Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 4.2 |
| Belgium | 3.9 |
| Austria | 3.4 |
| Cyprus | 3.3 |
| Malta | 3.2 |
| Germany | 2.5 |
| France | 2.5 |
| Lithuania | 2.3 |
| Latvia | 2.2 |
| Slovenia | 2.2 |
| Hungary | 2.1 |
| Sweden | 2.1 |
| Czechia | 2.0 |
| Estonia | 1.8 |
| Italy | 1.8 |
| Greece | 1.6 |
| Croatia | 1.5 |
| Luxembourg | 1.4 |
| Portugal | 1.4 |
| Ireland | 1.3 |
| Finland | 1.1 |
| Slovakia | 1.0 |
| Bulgaria | 0.9 |
| Spain | 0.8 |
| Poland | 0.8 |
| Romania | 0.6 |
| Denmark | n/a |
