Lowest Amount of Job Openings Ranked Portugal Sixth
In the first quarter of 2025, the job vacancy rate took a slight dip in the Eurozone, settling at 2.4%, compared to the previous quarter's 2.5% and a significant drop from the first quarter of 2024's 2.9%. Across the European Union, the vacancy rate also saw a decline, reaching 2.2% in Q1 2025, compared to 2.3% in Q4 2024 and 2.5% in Q1 2024.
According to Eurostat's data, member states like Belgium and the Netherlands boasted high job vacancy rates, at 4.1% and 4.2% respectively. On the flip side, countries such as Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, and Spain found themselves in the lower range, with rates of 0.6%, 0.8%, 0.9%, and 0.9% respectively. Portugal held a relatively moderate position, with a job vacancy rate of 1.3% – the sixth lowest in the EU. However, it's worth noting that Portugal saw a slight increase of 0.1 percentage points in the annual comparison.
Eurostat also released data on labour costs, revealing a 3.4% increase in the Eurozone and 4.1% increase in the EU during the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. While Portugal's increase was slightly less pronounced than the EU average, it still paled in comparison to Romania, Croatia, and Bulgaria, which recorded considerable jumps.
To put it simply, the European Union is experiencing a tightening labor market, with fewer job vacancies compared to previous quarters. Portugal is likely following this trend but holding a somewhat moderate position among member states in terms of job vacancies. In contrast, countries like Belgium and The Netherlands are grappling with higher vacancy rates, while Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, and Spain are dealing with relatively low vacancy rates.
News from the European Union indicate that Portugal's job vacancy rate, despite showing a slight annual increase, remains relatively moderate at 1.3%, placing it sixth among member states. This follows the overall trend of a tightening labor market in the EU, as the job vacancy rate across the union saw a general decline in the first quarter of 2025. In the realm of finance and business, Eurostat's data reveals disparities among EU countries, with Portugal and various Eastern European countries exhibiting contrasting job vacancy rates.
