In the first quarter of 2026, job vacancy levels across the euro area stood at 2.3%, marking a slight increase from 2.2% in the previous quarter, but still below the 2.4% recorded a year earlier, according to Eurostat. Across the European Union as a whole, the vacancy rate remained unchanged at 2.1% compared to the previous quarter, and was also lower than the 2.2% registered in the first quarter of 2025.
Sector-specific data show that in the euro area, the vacancy rate reached 2.0% in industry and construction, while services recorded a higher level of 2.4%. In the wider EU, the figures were 1.8% for industry and construction and 2.3% for services, reflecting a consistent pattern of tighter labor demand in the service sector.
Among EU member states with available comparable data, the Netherlands recorded the highest job vacancy rate at 4.0%, followed by Belgium at 3.4%, Malta at 3.3%, and Austria at 3.1%. These countries continue to show relatively stronger labor demand compared with the EU average.
At the lower end of the scale, Romania posted the weakest rate at 0.6%, followed by Poland at 0.8%. Bulgaria was among the countries with the lowest vacancy levels as well, together with Spain and Slovakia, all registering 0.9%.
