Archive:Employment rates – annual statistics
- Data extracted in April 2016. Most recent data: 2015 Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned article update: April 2017
European Union Labour force survey - Annual employment rates 2015
Author: Håvard Hungnes Lien (Eurostat, Labour market and lifelong learning)
The employment rate tells us what proportion of the adult population has a paid job (or, more technically, is an employed person). The pay can be in cash or in kind, and the job can be as an employee, as self-employed, or as a family worker. As gainful employment in most cases is the main basis for a sufficient living standard for each person, the employment rate tells us something about the social and economic conditions on individual level in a country. It also describes to what extent the human resources of a country are utilised for economic purposes, and thereby also provides key macroeconomic information.
Most of the EU member states have set targets for what the employment rate should be in 2020, as part of the EU 2020 strategy. This article will present these national targets in comparison to the 2015 main indicator employment rate, alongside a range of other breakdowns of the detailed annual results for the employment rate.[1]
Main statistical findings
As is clearly seen in the provided map of the employment rate, there are notable differences among the countries in 2015, with a spread from under 60 per cent to over 80 per cent. Some geographical patterns, at least for the low and middle ranking countries, are quite clear. Employment rates of less than 60 per cent are found in Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey, clearly clustered in the south-eastern corner. The countries with an employment rate between 60 and 69 per cent are also predominantly in the east or the south, but more spread out, and with Ireland and Belgium as additions. For the middle-high group, the geographical centre is Germany, which together with France and the United Kingdom makes up the majority of the population. However, this group stretches from the Mediterranean to the Arctic. Finally, there are three countries with an employment rate at 80 per cent or better, and these are Sweden, Iceland and Switzerland.
Development over time (2002 - 2015)
Click for animation
Source: Eurostat (lfsi_emp_a) and EU2020 national targets
Looking at the employment rate over time (2002 - 2015) in Figure 2, we find that on the level of the EU-28 average, the boom years before 2008 and the crisis afterwards are visible, but not very strongly. This almost flat line is of course a result of very different situations in the individual member states.
In twelve member states, the overall development of the employment rate since 2002 is relatively stable, not showing any large increase before 2008 nor any large drop afterwards. We find four large member states here (France, Italy, Romania, United Kingdom), as well as several countries which traditionally are more analytically grouped together: The Nordic member states (Denmark, Sweden, Finland), the Benelux countries. Slovakia and Slovenia also belong here.
The next obviously visible group of countries, all showing a massive rise, then a massive drop, followed by a gradual but strong recovery are the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).
A very marked drop in the employment rate is, not surprisingly, found in Greece, Ireland, and Spain. A drop, but not as heavy, is found in Croatia, Cyprus, and Portugal.
Perhaps more surprisingly, six member states show growth throughout the whole period under consideration, some of them even with very marked improvement: This clear growth cluster consists of Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. We also find the same situation in Malta.
In a group of its own we find Bulgaria, having a massive rise in the employment rate, followed by relatively stable period afterwards.
National employment rate targets
When considering the employment rate compared to the national targets, still in Figure 2, we find that four member states have in the past been at the prescribed level, but are now below it (Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, and Latvia), and another four member states are at the target level in 2015 (Germany, Estonia, Lithuania, and Sweden). Please note that even though the EU-28 target is 75 per cent, the target level varies considerably among the countries, stretching from 62.9 per cent in Croatia to 80 per cent in Denmark, Netherlands, and Sweden. It is worth noting that Sweden therefore is in the exclusive position of having both the highest target and at the same time having achieved it five years before the schedule.
Employment rate by age, 2006 and 2015.
panel chart in here
unadjusted employment rate, but deviates very little from 2006 and onwards.
marked change of the age composition of persons in employment in DE, only and mostly just a parallel shift in IT.
theoretical cohort effect on the 2020 rates ? could give a nice bridge to the national targets analysis
Employment rate by sex
unadjusted rates hi-low plot for 2015
Employment rate by level of qualification
horizontal bar chart, unadjusted rate 2015
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Text with Footnote [2]
Data sources and availability
Source: the European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) is a large sample, quarterly survey providing results for the population in private households in the EU, EFTA and the candidate countries. Conscripts in military or community service are not included in the results.
Reference period: Yearly results are obtained as averages of the four quarters in the year.
Coverage: France: Since the first quarter of 2014 the overseas departments of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane, and La Réunion are covered, in addition to the metropolitan territory. check adjusted and unadjusted rate situation Cyprus: The survey covers only the areas of Cyprus controlled by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
Country codes: Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), the Czech Republic (CZ), Denmark (DK), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Ireland (IE), Greece (EL), Spain (ES), France (FR), Croatia (HR), Italy (IT), Cyprus (CY), Latvia (LV), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Hungary (HU), Malta (MT), the Netherlands (NL), Austria (AT), Poland (PL), Portugal (PT), Romania (RO), Slovenia (SI), Slovakia (SK), Finland (FI), Sweden (SE), the United Kingdom (UK), Iceland (IS), Norway (NO), Switzerland (CH), the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MK), Turkey (TR). The abbreviation MK used for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is a provisional code which does not prejudice in any way the definitive nomenclature for this country, which will be agreed following the conclusion of negotiations currently taking place on this subject at the United Nations.
European aggregates: EU refers to the sum of EU-28 Member States and EA to the sum of the 19 euro area Member States. If data are unavailable for a country, the calculation of the corresponding aggregates takes into account the data for the same country for the most recent period available. Such cases are indicated.
Definitions: The concepts and definitions used in the survey follow the guidelines of the International Labour Organisation. Employment covers persons aged 15 years and over (16 and over in Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, 15-74 years in Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and 16-74 years in Iceland), living in private households, who during the reference week performed work, even for just one hour, for pay, profit or family gain, or were not at work but had a job or business from which they were temporarily absent, for example because of illness, holidays, industrial dispute or education and training.
The LFS employment concept differs from national accounts domestic employment, as the latter sets no limit on age or type of household, and also includes the non-resident population contributing to GDP and conscripts in military or community service.
Definitions of indicators reported in this publication are available on the EU-LFS Statistics Explained website:
EU Labour Force Survey (Statistics Explained)
Context
The article on Labour market and Labour force survey (LFS) statistics presents a series of other annual results of the LFS. For deeper insight into the labour market, this article should also be read together with Unemployment statistics and Underemployment and potential additional labour force statistics.
The main source for the employment rate calculation is the labour force survey (LFS). The results from the survey currently cover all European Union member states, the EFTA member states of Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, as well as the candidate countries Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The survey is based on the same target populations and uses the same definitions in all countries, which means that the results are comparable between the countries. Five different articles on detailed technical and methodological information is linked from the overview page EU labour force survey.
The EU-LFS is the largest European household sample survey providing quarterly and annual results on labour participation of people aged 15 and over as well as on persons outside the labour force. It covers residents in private households. The EU-LFS is an important source of information about the situation and trends in the EU labour market.
Each quarter around 1.8 million interviews are conducted throughout the participating countries to obtain statistical information for some 100 variables. Due to the diversity of information and the large sample size the EU-LFS is also an important source for other European statistics like Education statistics or Regional statistics.
See also
Further Eurostat information
Publications
Main tables
Database
Dedicated section
Methodology / Metadata
Notes
- ↑ Please note that Eurostat provides two versions of the annual employment rate, which serve different purposes, and which in some cases differ from one another:
- Main indicators, which are adjusted. It is one of the headline indicators under the EU2020 Strategy, and is as such used for monitoring the EU2020 national targets, but have only a few breakdowns. It normally refers only to the age group 20-64. Please also note that for France the main indicator excludes overseas departments.
- Detailed quarterly and annual results. These are not adjusted, but have a large number of breakdowns, and can therefore be used for more detailed analysis. These include the French overseas departments.
- ↑ Text of the footnote.
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