The job vacancy rate in the euro area (EA19) was 2.1% in the second quarter of 2018, up from 1.9% in the second quarter of 2017. In the EU28, the job vacancy rate was 2.2% in the second quarter of 2018, up from 2.0% in the second quarter of 2017, according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

Among industry sectors, in the euro area, the job vacancy rate in the second quarter of 2018 was 1.9% in industry and construction, and 2.4% in services. In the EU28, the job vacancy rate was 2.1% in industry and construction, and 2.5% in services.

Among the member states for which comparable data are available, the highest job vacancy rates in the second quarter of 2018 were recorded in the Czech Republic (5.4%), Belgium (3.5%), the Netherlands (3.1%) and Germany (2.9%). In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Greece (0.7%), Bulgaria, Spain and Portugal (all 0.9%).

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate in the second quarter of 2018 rose in 20 member states, and remained stable in Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal and Romania, but fell in Estonia. The largest increases were registered in the Czech Republic (+1.8%), Latvia (+0.8%), Cyprus (+0.6%), Hungary, the Netherlands and Finland (all +0.5%).