Number of job vacancies almost unchanged

After adjusting for seasonal effects, 128 thousands jobs were vacant by the end of September 2009. This virtually equals the number vacant at the end of June. The number of vacancies hardly changed in the private sector and in non-commercial services. In the three preceding quarters, the number of vacancies had dropped sharply.

The vacancy rate is indicative of the degree of scarcity on the labour market. It is defined as the number of vacancies per thousand jobs. By the end of September, there were 16 vacancies for every thousand jobs. This is nearly half the September 2008 figure. The most substantial decline occurred in construction. In this sector, the vacancy rate dropped from 43 to 15 in one year. The vacancy rate also dropped sharply in manufacturing, hotels and restaurants and business services. The smallest reduction was recorded in the non-commercial services sector.

The labour market was less dynamic than one year previously. In the third quarter of 2009, 182 thousand new vacancies were created, i.e. 81 thousand down on twelve months previously. With 195 thousand, the number of filled vacancies clearly lagged behind the 289 thousand of the third quarter of 2009.

Job vacancies, seasonally adjusted