In this article you will learn all about employment statistics, including why we need these statistics, how we define someone who is employed, what the employment rate is and what are the different working patterns.
Why do we need employment data?
Employment is an important indicator which can be used to analyse how a country's economy is doing. Employment data together with other economic indicators such as the labour market can help governments and policy makers make informed decisions which aim to promote economic stability and development.
When we look at employment data by age, gender, education level or other variables, it allows policy makers to identify and address differences in the job market. This data helps to develop programs, for example, initiatives to support more women entering certain industries and fields.
For teachers and students, employment data is a valuable tool which can be used in the classroom to discuss:
- How the job market can change over time
- Which industries are growing
- What skills are needed to prepare students for the future
What makes someone employed?
Eurostat follows the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition, classifying an employed person as someone who:
- worked in the previous week even if just for one hour for pay, profit or family gain
- alternatively, had a job from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, holiday, strikes, or education and training
We can distinguish between 3 different types of employed people:
- employees — people who work for a public or private employer who pays them for their work
- self-employed (with or without employees) — people who own the business they work for (or part of it). These people may receive a regular salary from their enterprise or they may benefit directly from the profits made by the business
- family workers — people who help another family member to run an agricultural holding, for example or any other business, provided they are not considered as employees
Most people in the EU are employees. In 2024, out of the (197) million people, aged 20-64, who were employed in the EU, some 170 million were employees, and about 26 million were self-employed and about 1000 were family workers.
What is the employment rate?
The employment rate is the percentage of employed persons in relation to the comparable total population.
The employment rate is calculated for working-age people, from 15 years or over, 15-64, 18-64 or people between 20 and 64 years of age. Similar to the activity rate (for more details see Labour market - basic definitions), employment rates are calculated and analysed for various groups, such as specific age groups (younger or older workers), men or women, or based on the level of education or country of birth. For example, when we calculate the employment rate for women within a specific age group, we compare it to the total number of women in that population age group.
In 2024, 197 million people aged 20-64 were employed in the EU, out of a total population of 315 million in that age group. To calculate the employment rate, divide the number of employed people by the total population in the same age group. Thus, the employment rate was nearly 76%.
Play with the interactive visual below and find out the employment rate for your country's population aged 20 to 64 years as well as for young people aged 15 to 24 years.
What is part-time employment?
The European Union Labour force survey (EU-LFS) collects information on the labour market situation and covers people aged 15 years old and above. It defines a part-time worker as an employed person whose normal hours of work are less than those of a comparable full-time worker. (Part-time work convention, International Labour Organisation)
In 2024, the share of part-time workers in the EU aged 20-64 was 17.1%. The share of men in part-time work was 7.7%, while women represented a much higher proportion at 27.8%. In analyses of part-time employment trends, statisticians focus on people aged 20–64. This is because (15–19) and (65+) age groups often work part-time for different reasons such as studying or transitioning into retirement.
Play with the interactive visual below and explore the part-time employment trend in the EU, it is broken down by gender and expressed as a share of total employment for people aged 20 to 64 years.
Trend in part-time employment, EU, 2015-2024
What is temporary employment?
Temporary employment refers to the working situation of employees who work under a fixed-term contract, where the contract’s end date is established by a set of criteria. These criteria may include:
- A specific date written into the contract
- The end of a particular task for which the person has been employed
- The return of an employee who has been temporarily replaced
Examples of temporary work contracts include seasonal employment, such as working in a ski resort during the winter, picking grapes at the end of the summer or people who find work through an employment agency (who could be hired on a recurrent basis to do a specific task or to cover for a specific employee).
In 2024, 47.6%, a relatively high share, of young people aged 15-24 years in the EU were employed on a temporary or fixed-term contract. While this may indicate a preference among young people to accommodate other commitments in their lives, such as attending further education or family responsibilities, it may also imply that young people are largely employed in precarious, insecure jobs, with low levels of social protection, and have difficulty finding permanent employment.
The issue of precarious employment is related to temporary (or limited duration) work contracts. People in precarious employment can be defined as those with a work contract of no more than 3 months.
In 2024 the share of precarious workers across the EU was particularly high for those working within agriculture, forestry and fishing (4.1 % of this particular workforce).
How many hours are spent at work?
Actual weekly work hours represent the total time a person spends on work activities, including extra hours related to their main job, irrespective of compensation. Time spent travelling to the workplace or the time for meal breaks while at work are not included.
In the EU, in 2024, people aged 20-64 years in employment worked on average 36.0 hours per week, including full and part time work. This number refers to the hours people worked in their main job in the reference week of the EU Labour force survey (EU - LFS).
The average actual working hours per week differ between EU countries, check how your country stands in the map below.
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_ewhan2)
What is NEET?
An important aspect to consider when analysing young people transitioning from education to work is the concept of neither in employment nor in education or training (NEET).
The transition from education to work has become increasingly complex, with young people changing jobs more frequently and taking longer to establish themselves in the labour market - whether by choice or due to different factors such as economic conditions, unpaid care responsibilities for children or elderly relatives, health issues, or simply lacking direction.
In 2024, 11% of 15–29-year-olds in the EU were neither in employment nor in education and training.
Check the share of people aged 15–29 in your country who are not in school or employment.
_neither_in_employment_nor_in_education_and_training,_2024.png)
Why do employment data vary?
Eurostat’s database provides EU LFS and the national accounts sources to analyse the labour market data, particularly for employment. Differences between EU LFS and national accounts sources arise from 2 main factors:
- Source of information used: National accounts collect data from multiple sources. LFS uses a single survey method.
- Conceptual differences:
- Different criteria: LFS covers people aged 15 years and older living in private households, while national accounts take into consideration all individuals regardless of age or living situation.
- Geographical situation: National accounts focus on people working in the national economy, regardless of where they live. LFS are based exclusively on residents of the national territory.
- Coverage differences: LFS excludes individuals living in institutional or collective households, unpaid apprentices and trainees and/or persons on extended parental leave, which national accounts (ESA)2010 include.
Data from the LFS are usually considered more suitable for measuring the labour market’s activity and employment rates, or to provide socio-demographic analysis, while national accounts data are preferable for measuring growth and breaking down employment by industry.
Play with statistics
Do you want to test your knowledge on employment and other statistics? Take Eurostat’ s quiz and learn more about the EU countries in a fun way. You can test yourself, your friends and family, students and colleagues.
Click on the icon below, choose your language and get started!
Footnotes
Explore further
Other articles
Related articles in Statistics 4 beginners:
Related articles in Statistics Explained:
- Employment_-_annual_statistics
- EU labour force survey — latest developments
- EU labour force survey — legal basis and methodology