The job vacancy rate in the euro area (EA19) was 1.9% in the first quarter of 2017, up from 1.7% recorded in both the first quarter of 2016 and Q4 2016, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

In the EU28, the job vacancy rate was also 1.9% in the first quarter of 2017, up from 1.8% recorded in the first quarter of 2016 and Q4 2016.

In the euro area, the job vacancy rate in the first quarter of 2017 was 1.5% in industry and construction, and 2.2% in services. In the EU28, the rate was 1.6% in industry and construction, and 2.2% in services. 

Among the member states for which comparable data are available, the highest job vacancy rates in the first quarter of 2017 were recorded in the Czech Republic (3.1%), while the lowest rates were recorded in Spain (0.8%).