BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – In the European Union countries, 75 percent (193.5 million) of people in the 20-64-year- age group were employed, the highest since the start of the time series in 2009, as per the labor force data published by Eurostat.
The employment rate dropped to 72 percent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but rebounded to 73 percent in 2021 and further increased by 2 percentage points (pp) in 2022.
Among the EU countries, 11 had employment rates above 78 percent (one of the three targets set in the 2030 action plan of the European Pillar of Social Rights) with the Netherlands (83 percent), Sweden, and Estonia (both 82 percent) having the highest rates.
The lowest rates were recorded in Italy (65 percent), Greece (66 percent) and Romania (69 percent).
In 2022, the EU over-qualification rate was 22 percent, with 21 percent for men and 23 percent for women.
Over-qualification is when people with tertiary education (ISCED levels 5-8) are employed in occupations that do not require such a high level of education (equivalent to ISCO major groups 4-9).
Among the EU countries, the over-qualification rate was highest in Spain (36 percent), followed by Greece and Cyprus (each 32 percent).
Meanwhile, Luxembourg (7 percent), Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and Czechia (each 14 percent) recorded the lowest rates.