Q4 2022: slight decline in EU recent job starters

In the fourth quarter of 2022 (Q4 2022), the share of recent job starters (people who started their current job within the last 3 months) aged 15-64 among the total employed people in the EU saw a slight decrease compared with Q4 2021 (from 6.2% to 6.0%; equal to -0.2 percentage points, or pp). 

Female recent job starters experienced a larger decline (from 6.8% in Q4 2021 to 6.5% in Q4 2022; -0.3 pp) than their male counterparts (from 5.7% to 5.5%; -0.2 pp).

Source dataset:  LFS ad-hoc extraction 

The decrease in female recent job starters was particularly noticeable among those aged 15-29 participating in formal education, with a decline from 27.4% in Q4 2021 to 25.5% in Q4 2022 (-1.9 pp). In contrast, males within the same age group and category experienced a smaller decrease - from 25.0% to 24.6% (-0.4 pp).

The most significant decline in the rate of male recent job starters occurred among those aged 15-29 not participating in formal education, with a decrease from 13.2% in Q4 2021 to 12.5% in Q4 2022 (-0.8 pp).

Source dataset:  LFS ad-hoc extraction 

In Q4 2022, the highest rates of recent job starters in total employment were observed in Denmark (9.4%), Finland (8.6%), and the Netherlands (8.4%). The lowest rates were recorded in Romania (1.8%), Slovakia (2.1%), and Bulgaria (2.4%).

The downward trend observed at the EU level was also evident in 20 EU countries. The largest decreases were recorded in Slovenia (-1.8 pp in Q4 2022 compared with Q4 2021), Cyprus (-1.4 pp), and Belgium (-1.1 pp). Meanwhile, the largest increases were recorded in Luxembourg (+1.0 pp), Sweden (+0.6 pp), and Austria (+0.5 pp).