Number of job vacancies down again
There were 97 thousand job vacancies at the end of March 2013. The number of job vacancies has declined gradually over the past two years, mostly due to a reduced demand for staff in the private sector. The number of unfilled job vacancies in the private sector remained fairly stable. At the end of March, the number of vacancies in the private sector was 89 thousand, as against 7 thousand in the public sector. Vacancy figures are adjusted for seasonal variation.
The number of vacancies per one thousand jobs, the so-called vacancy rate, is an indicator for the tension on the labour market. The vacancy rate climbed from 12 at the end of December to 13 at the end of March.
In the first quarter of 2013, the labour market was less dynamic than one year previously; 153 thousand new vacancies were created, i.e. 16 thousand down from one year previously. The number of filled vacancies was 150 thousand in the first quarter, a reduction by 18 thousand relative to the first quarter of 2012.
Job vacancies, seasonally adjusted
Vacancy indicator unchanged in May
The vacancy indicator provides a quick indication of the further trend in job vacancies. The indicator was the same in May as in April and was also fairly stable in the preceding months. In the private sector, pessimists have outnumbered optimists for two years now.
Vacancy indicator
Vacancy indicator
More figures can be found in dossier Business cycle.
For more information on economic indicators, the reader is referred to the Economic Monitor.