The Netherlands had the highest employment rate among European Union countries in 2025, at 82.5 percent, while Iceland had the highest employment rate among all European countries. The second highest employment rate in the EU was that of Malta, which had an employment rate of 79.9 percent. Italy reported the lowest employment rate in the EU at 62.7 percent.

This dataset provides values for EMPLOYMENT RATE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The youth unemployment rate in the European Union was 14.6 percent in August 2025, compared with 14.3 percent a year earlier in August 2024. The female and male youth unemployment rates have converged significantly over the past two decades, as before the global financial crisis and great recession.

The 'LFS main indicators' section presents a selection of the main statistics on the labour market. They encompass indicators of activity, employment and unemployment. Those indicators are based on the results of the European Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS), in few cases integrated with data sources like national accounts employment or registered unemployment. As a result of the application of adjustments, corrections and reconciliation of EU Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) data, the 'LFS main indicators' is the most complete and reliable collection of employment and unemployment data available in the sub-domain 'Employment and unemployment'.

The EU-LFS data used for 'LFS main indicators' are, where necessary, adjusted and enriched in various ways, in accordance with the specificities of an indicator. The most common adjustments cover:

• estimation of missing values, i.e. in case of missing quarters, annual results and EU aggregates are estimated using interpolations of EU Labour Force Survey data with reference to the available quarter(s).
• for all quarterly indicators seasonally adjusted data are available.
• correction of the main breaks in the LFS series.

Those adjustments may produce some differences between data published under 'LFS main indicators' and 'LFS series – detailed quarterly/annual survey results', particularly for back data. For the most recent years, the different series converge, due to the implementation of a continuous quarterly survey and the improved quality of the data.

This page focuses on the 'LFS main indicators' in general. There are special pages for indicators that are listed below:

• Monthly Unemployment: une_rt_m.

Quarterly and annual unemployment figures are derived in line with all other LFS Main Indciators, and no longer aggregated from monthly unemployment series.

• Duration of working life - annual data: lfsi_dwl_a;
• Population in jobless households - annual data: lfsi_jhh_a;
• Labour market transitions - LFS longitudinal data: lfsi_long.

The entry of the new Framework regulation on Social Statistics (IESS) in 2021 created changes in the LFS Main Indicators. Most countries expected breaks for a number of series derived from LFS microdata, therefore Eurostat and participating countries launched a joint break correction exercise to produce comparable data before and under IESS. The 'LFS main indicators' section therefore contains two type of datasets depending on the underlying regulation. The first type of datasets are historical series under the pre-IESS regulation, and include the suffix ‘_h’ for historical series at the end of the table titles. Historical series will remain accessible and are continued until 2020Q4 LFS microdata revisions of previously released EU-LFS series. Reasons for revisions are for example weight revisions due to revised weighting routines, or census revisions. The second type of datasets are new tables that are filled with data under IESS from 2021Q1 on. These tables also include the break-corrected 2009Q1-2020Q4 data that are produced in the break correction exercise. If countries send longer complete time series than starting in 2009, that data will also be used and published. Until fully back-estimated series in line with IESS are available for all countries, EU and EA aggregates were based on the data that is available at the time and was flagged with a break flag. Fully break-free EU and EA aggregates were published for the first time in February 2022. More information can be found on the EU-LFS Breaks in Time Series (Statistics Explained) webpage.

General information on the EU-LFS can be found in the ESMS page for 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)', see link in related metadata. Detailed information on the main features, the legal basis, the methodology and the data as well as on the historical development of the EU-LFS is available on the EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) webpage.

Full Time Employment in European Union increased to 165997.90 Thousand in the second quarter of 2025 from 164649.30 Thousand in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset provides - European Union Full Time Employment- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The employment rate of the total population is calculated by dividing the number of person aged 20 to 64 in employment by the total population of the same age group. The employment rate of men is calculated by dividing the number of men aged 20 to 64 in employment by the total male population of the same age group. The employment rate of women is calculated by dividing the number of women aged 20 to 64 in employment by the total female population of the same age group. The indicators are based on the EU Labour Force Survey.

European Union - Employment rates of recent graduates was 82.40% in December of 2022, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Employment rates of recent graduates - last updated from the EUROSTAT on September of 2025. Historically, European Union - Employment rates of recent graduates reached a record high of 82.40% in December of 2022 and a record low of 74.30% in December of 2013.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Rate: Aged 15-64: All Persons for the European Union (LREM64TTEUA156N) from 2005 to 2019 about EU, employment-population ratio, 15 to 64 years, Europe, population, employment, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Rate: Aged 15-64: All Persons for the European Union (LREM64TTEUQ156N) from Q2 2000 to Q4 2019 about EU, employment-population ratio, 15 to 64 years, Europe, population, employment, and rate.

European Union - Employment rate: From 15 to 64 years was 70.80% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Employment rate: From 15 to 64 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on September of 2025. Historically, European Union - Employment rate: From 15 to 64 years reached a record high of 70.80% in December of 2024 and a record low of 62.50% in December of 2013.

This statistic shows the employment rate in the European Union from 2010 to 2023. In 2023, the employment rate in the EU amounted to 70.4 percent, compared to 69.8 percent in 2022.

The folder 'population by educational attainment level (edat1)' presents data on the highest level of education successfully completed by the individuals of a given population.

The folder 'transition from education to work (edatt)' covers data on young people neither in employment nor in education and training – NEET, early leavers from education and training and the labour status of young people by years since completion of highest level of education.

The data shown are calculated as annual averages of quarterly EU Labour Force Survey data (EU-LFS).

Up to the reference year 2008, the data source (EU-LFS) is, where necessary, adjusted and enriched in various ways, in accordance with the specificities of an indicator, including the following:

• correction of the main breaks in the LFS series,
• estimation of the missing values, i.e. in case of missing quarters, annual results and EU aggregates are estimated using adjusted quarterly national labour force survey data or interpolations of the EU-LFS data with reference to the available quarter(s).

Details on the adjustments are available in CIRCABC.

The adjustments are applied in the following online tables:

• Population by educational attainment level (edat1)

- Population by educational attainment level, sex and age (%) - main indicators (edat_lfse_03)
- Population by educational attainment level, sex and NUTS 2 regions (%) (edat_lfse_04)

(Other tables shown in the folder 'population by educational attainment level (edat1)' are not adjusted and therefore the results in these tables might differ).

• Young people by educational and labour status (incl. neither in employment nor in education and training - NEET) (edatt0) – all tables
• Early leavers from education and training (edatt1) – all tables
• Labour status of young people by years since completion of highest level of education (edatt2) – all tables

LFS ad-hoc module data available in the folder 'transition from education to work (edatt)' are not adjusted.

The folder 'young people by educational and labour status (incl. neither in employment nor in education and training - NEET) (edatt0)' also presents one table with quarterly NEET data (lfsi_neet_q). Deviating from the NEET indicator calculation as provided in 3.4, the denominator in this table with quarterly data is the total population of the same age group and sex which explains differences in results. For further information, see the ESMS on 'LFS main indicators'.

The employment rate of older workers is calculated by dividing the number of persons in employment and aged 55 to 64 by the total population of the same age group. The indicator is based on the EU Labour Force Survey.

Among European Union countries in July 2025, Spain had the highest unemployment rate at 10.4 percent, followed by Finland at 10 percent. By contrast, Malta has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, at 2.6 percent. The overall rate of unemployment in the European Union was 5.9 percent in the same month - a historical low-point for unemployment in the EU, which had been at over 10 percent for much of the 2010s.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Rate: Aged 15-24: Males for the European Union (LREM24MAEUA156S) from 2005 to 2019 about EU, employment-population ratio, 15 to 24 years, males, Europe, population, employment, and rate.

Employment rates of persons aged 20 to 34 fulfilling the following conditions: (1) being employed according to the ILO definition, (2) having attained at least upper secondary education (ISCED 3) as the highest level of education, (3) not having received any education or training in the four weeks preceding the survey, (4) having successfully completed their highest educational attainment 1, 2 or 3 years before the survey. Data based on the EU Labour Force Survey.

Unemployed persons as a percentage of the labour force. The labour force is the total number of people employed and unemployed. Unemployed persons are persons aged 15 to 74 who were without work during the reference week, were available for work and were actively seeking work. Data available as rates (% of population in the labour force, % of the total population) and in absolute numbers (1000 persons).

European Union Employment Rate: EA 19: Female: Age 55 to 64 data was reported at 58.000 % in Mar 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 57.900 % for Dec 2022. European Union Employment Rate: EA 19: Female: Age 55 to 64 data is updated quarterly, averaging 48.600 % from Mar 2009 (Median) to Mar 2023, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 58.000 % in Mar 2023 and a record low of 36.400 % in Mar 2009. European Union Employment Rate: EA 19: Female: Age 55 to 64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Eurostat. The data is categorized under Global Database’s European Union – Table EU.G009: Eurostat: Employment Rate.

The indicator presents employment rates by age. The employment rate is calculated by dividing the number of persons in employment in a given age group by the total population of the same age group. The indicator is based on the EU Labour Force Survey.

European Union - Employment rate: From 25 to 54 years was 82.50% in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for European Union - Employment rate: From 25 to 54 years - last updated from the EUROSTAT on September of 2025. Historically, European Union - Employment rate: From 25 to 54 years reached a record high of 82.50% in December of 2024 and a record low of 75.60% in December of 2013.