Regional variations in EU employment rates

The EU employment rate in 2022 reached its historical high at 74.6 %, however, when examining regional data, significant differences emerge beneath the EU average.

The highest regional employment rate among NUTS 2 regions in 2022 was recorded in the Finnish archipelago of Åland, at 89.7%, followed by the Polish capital region of Warszawski stołeczny (85.4%), the Dutch region of Utrecht (85.1%) and the Swedish capital region of Stockholm (also 85.1%). 

More than two fifths of all regions (102 out of the 242) had an employment rate equal to or above 78% - the EU employment rate target for 2030. These regions were mainly concentrated in Czechia (all eight regions), Denmark (all five regions), Germany (36 out of 38 regions; the exceptions being Bremen and Düsseldorf), Estonia, Malta, the Netherlands (all 12 regions) and Sweden (all eight regions).

In contrast, in three regions in southern Italy, less than half of the population was employed, in Sicilia (46.2%), Calabria (47.0%) and Campania (47.3%). 

Source dataset: lfst_r_lfe2emprtn

Between 2021 and 2022, 9 out of 10 regions witnessed an increase in employment rates 

Among the 242 NUTS 2 regions, 221 saw an increase in the employment rate between 2021 and 2022, with 123 experiencing an increase higher than the EU average (+1.5 percentage points).

The top five regions with the highest employment rate growth include four Greek regions: Ipeiros (+7.7 pp), Notio Aigaio (+5.8 pp), Kriti (+5.7 pp) and Sterea Ellada (+5.4 pp) and the Spanish region of Canarias (+5.5 pp).

At the other end of the range, the Polish region of Opolskie (-1.5 pp), the Spanish region Ciudad de Melilla (-1.3 pp), the German region Unterfranken (-1.2 pp) and the French regions Limousin (-1.0 pp), Bretagne and Guadeloupe (-0.9 pp for both) experienced the most sizable declines from 2021 to 2022.

You can observe the change in the employment rate in your region by selecting it in our interactive visualisation.

Would you like to know more about the regional employment rate in EU?

You can read more about regional employment in the dedicated section of the Regions in Europe - 2023 interactive edition and in the Eurostat regional yearbook - 2023 edition, also available as a set of Statistics Explained articles. The corresponding maps in the Statistical Atlas provide a full-screen interactive map.