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Unemployment and labour shortages are important issues throughout the European Union. Eurostat reports that around 13.1 million people were unemployed in the EU in May of the current year.
Despite initiatives by the European Commission aimed at addressing employment and social challenges, numerous job openings remain unfilled. In the second quarter of 2025, Germany has more than 1 million vacancies, while France has over half a million.
Where are the highest and lowest job vacancy rates in Europe? How do the numbers of job openings vary across European countries? Which nations have the most pressing need for workers?
What is defined as a job vacancy?
A job vacancy refers to a paid position that is newly created, currently unfilled, or about to be vacated. According to Eurostat, it is a position for which the employer actively seeks an appropriate external candidate. The employer might intend to fill the position immediately or within a defined timeframe.
The job vacancy rate (JVR) calculation considers both the number of job vacancies and the number of filled positions to reflect the total demand for labor and available openings. Essentially, it measures the proportion of positions that are unoccupied.
For instance, a job vacancy rate of 3% implies that out of every 100 jobs, 97 are occupied and 3 are not.
As of the second quarter of 2025, 2.1% of jobs within the EU are vacant, which is a decrease from 2.2% in the first quarter of 2025 and from 2.4% in the second quarter of 2024.
JVR varies widely across Europe, from 0.6% in Romania to 4.2% in the Netherlands, reflecting the diverse labor market conditions on the continent.
In countries such as Belgium (4.1%), Austria and Norway (both at 3.4%), and Malta (3%), vacancy rates are 3% or higher, indicating a significant demand for workers, particularly in northwest Europe. Conversely, eastern and southern Europe demonstrate a weaker demand for labor.
For some countries, the comparison is based on first quarter data as second quarter results are not yet available, which may slightly influence the rankings.
Germany and France exhibit vacancy rates above the EU average
Behind Romania, the lowest job vacancy rates are observed in Spain and Poland (0.8%), Bulgaria (0.9%), Turkey, and Slovakia (both at 1.1%).
Germany and France, the EU’s biggest economies, experience job vacancy rates above the EU average (2.1%), standing at 2.5% each. Italy’s rate is, however, at 1.7%.
Exact job vacancy figures can provide additional insights.
Leaderboard of job vacancies: Germany, UK, France, Netherlands
Among 30 countries, which include EU members, candidates, the UK, and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states, Germany boasts the highest number of open positions at 1,050,000.
Simultaneously, Germany is the premier destination for immigrants within Europe. In 2023, it welcomed 324,000 immigrants from EU countries, 905,000 from outside the EU, and 42,000 from unknown origins, making a total of 1,271,000.
Contrastingly, Spain’s situation paints a different picture. With 145,000 job openings, it ranks eighth yet closely follows Germany in total immigration with 1.25 million, suggesting that each country must be considered individually, factoring in economic size and growth trends.
The UK comes second with 781,000 vacancies, followed by France with 504,000. The Netherlands claims fourth place with 400,000 job openings.
Turkey has 206,000 job openings, and it also recorded the highest rate of young individuals not in employment, education, or training (NEET) in 2024.
Other countries with more than 100,000 job openings include Belgium (170,000), Austria (148,000), Spain (145,000), Sweden (113,000), Norway (107,000), and Poland (101,000).
Iceland boasts the fewest job openings with 5,000, trailed by Luxembourg (7,000), Malta (8,000), and North Macedonia (10,000).
Unmet labor demand and skills mismatch
What does JVR reveal? According to Eurostat, “The job vacancy rate reflects the unmet demand for labor as well as potential mismatches between the skills of those who are unemployed and those that employers are seeking.”
Employer surveys indicate that skills shortages are increasingly challenging for employers across Europe. For example, a 2023 ManpowerGroup survey found that 75% of employers in 21 European nations struggled to find candidates with the appropriate skills, a 33 percentage point increase from 2018. In this survey, Germany and Greece experienced the highest rates at 82%.
Similarly, a Eurobarometer survey at the end of 2023 found that 54% of EU Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) cited skill shortages among their top three challenges.
Distribution of job postings by occupation and highest salaries
While Eurostat data indicates job vacancies by sector, it doesn’t provide a detailed breakdown by occupation. For insights into which sectors have the most job postings in Europe, an article on Euronews Business offers valuable information based on recent data from Indeed.
If you’re interested in careers offering the highest salaries, this piece thoroughly covers the latest salary and occupation trends in Europe, encompassing the UK, Germany, and France.
