The EU employment rate for people aged 20 to 64 rose to 76.3% in the first quarter of 2026, up from 76.2% in the previous quarter.
Labour market slack — a broader measure that includes unemployed people and others who want to work but are not in a job — fell to 10.9% of the extended labour force aged 20 to 64, down from 11.0% in the fourth quarter of 2025, Eurostat informed on Friday.
The figures are seasonally adjusted, meaning they account for typical time-of-year patterns such as holiday hiring and regular fluctuations in work.
Between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, 11 EU countries recorded an increase in the employment rate, six were unchanged and 10 saw a decline.
Mixed national picture
Italy posted the largest increase in employment over the quarter, up 0.5 percentage points, Eurostat reported.
Belgium, Cyprus, Lithuania, Slovakia and Sweden each recorded a rise of 0.4 percentage points.
The biggest falls were in Latvia, down 0.8 percentage points, and Ireland, down 0.7 percentage points.
Slovenia and Finland each saw employment fall by 0.3 percentage points over the same period.
