Number of job vacancies drops further

At the end of December 2011, there were 123 thousand job vacancies, i.e. 10 thousand fewer than at the end of September. The number of job vacancies fell for the second consecutive quarter. Job vacancy figures are adjusted for seasonal variation.

The number of job vacancies in the private sector declined by 9 thousand relative to the preceding quarter. With 6 thousand, it dropped most notably in the commercial services sector, but the sector still recorded the highest number of job vacancies (73 thousand). In manufacturing industry and construction, the number of unfilled job vacancies stood at 12 thousand and 5 thousand respectively. The number of job vacancies in the public sector amounted to 7 thousand, i.e. slightly below the level of the third quarter.

The number of vacancies per one thousand jobs - the so-called vacancy rate - is an indicator for the degree of tightness on the labour market. The vacancy rate for the fourth quarter was 15, versus 16 in the third quarter.

The labour market was less dynamic. In the fourth quarter, 167 thousand new vacancies were created, a decline by 14 thousand from the fourth quarter of 2010. The number of filled or terminated vacancies amounted to 181 thousand, approximately the same as in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Job vacancies, seasonally adjusted