Further decline in job vacancies

There were 91 thousand unfilled job vacancies at the end of June 2013, the lowest number in nearly ten years and 6 thousand below the level at the end of March. The decline is due to the reduced demand for staff in the private sector. At the end of June, there were 83 thousand unfilled job vacancies in the private sector and 8 thousand in the public sector. Vacancy figures are adjusted for seasonal variation.

The so-called vacancy rate, the number of vacancies per one thousand jobs, is an indicator for the level of tension on the labour market. The vacancy rate fell marginally; from 13 at the end of March to 12 at the end of June.

In the second quarter of 2013, the labour market was less dynamic than one year previously; 162 thousand new vacancies were created, i.e. 17 thousand down from one year previously; 162 thousand vacancies were filled in the second quarter, a reduction by 19 thousand relative to the second quarter of 2012.

Job vacancies, seasonally adjusted