The employment rate in the European Union for people between 20 and 64 years old increased in the second quarter of this year, compared to the first quarter, reaching 76.4%. This increase reflects a positive trend in the European labor market during this period.
According to Eurostat data, labor market slack, which covers all people with unmet employment needs, remained stable at 11% of the workforce in this age group.
Among EU countries, the biggest increases in the employment rate were recorded in Portugal, Malta, Greece, Latvia and Slovenia. Conversely, Austria, Lithuania and Sweden showed the biggest declines in the employment rate.
In the 15 to 74 age group, approximately 3.1 million unemployed people entered the labor market between the first and second quarter, representing 23.2% of the total unemployed in the first quarter. Of the total employed people in the first quarter, 2.5 million became unemployed in the second quarter and 4.8 million left the labor force.
