In the first quarter of 2026, the European Union’s employment rate rose to 76.3% as labor market slack declined to 10.9%. According to Eurostat, the total number of employed persons in the EU reached 221.2 million, marking a continued, albeit slowing, trend in workforce expansion.
Eurostat’s quarterly releases serve as a primary benchmark for assessing the economic health of the European Union, providing the statistical foundation used by policymakers to monitor labor trends, inflation risks, and the effectiveness of regional economic policies.
EU employment rate and labor market slack
The labor market showed signs of tightening in the first three months of 2026. The employment rate for people aged 20-64 in the EU stood at 76.3%, a slight increase from the 76.2% recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025. Simultaneously, labor market slack—which includes all individuals with an unmet need for employment—fell to 10.9% of the extended labor force, down from 11.0% in the previous quarter.
Labor market slack is a composite indicator used to measure the total degree of underutilization within a workforce. It encompasses not only the standard unemployment rate but also individuals who are available for work but are currently unable to find employment or are underemployed, providing a more comprehensive view of labor availability than unemployment figures alone.
While the overall trend was upward, the gains were not distributed evenly across the bloc. Italy led the group of countries with rising employment, recording a 0.5 percentage point increase. Several other nations followed closely with more modest gains.
| Country | Employment Rate Change (pp) |
|---|---|
| Italy | +0.5 |
| Belgium | +0.4 |
| Cyprus | +0.4 |
| Lithuania | +0.4 |
| Slovakia | +0.4 |
| Sweden | +0.4 |
| Latvia | -0.8 |
| Ireland | -0.7 |
| Slovenia | -0.3 |
| Finland | -0.3 |
Lithuania and the leaders in employment expansion
When looking at the total number of persons employed, certain Baltic and Mediterranean nations outperformed their neighbors. Lithuania (+1.8%) recorded the largest increase in employment in persons during the first quarter of 2026, followed by Malta at 1.0% and Estonia at 0.9%.
The relationship between headcount growth and total labor input is a key metric for economic analysts. A rise in the number of persons employed does not always correlate with an increase in total hours worked, which can indicate a shift in the nature of the workforce, such as an increase in part-time positions or shorter working weeks.
However, these gains in headcount did not always translate to increased labor input. Hours worked across both the EU and the euro area decreased by 0.2% compared to the previous quarter. Despite this quarterly dip, the long-term trajectory remained positive, with hours worked up 0.4% compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
The contraction in employment was most visible in Romania, which saw a 1.0% decline, and Ireland, which fell by 0.8%. Portugal also reported a decrease of 0.4%.
Eurozone job growth despite GDP contraction
The Eurozone’s labor market continues to demonstrate a unique resilience against broader economic headwinds. The number of employed persons in the euro area grew by 0.1% from the previous quarter to 176.308 million. This marks the 20th consecutive quarter of employment growth for the bloc, even as high energy prices and sluggish productivity contributed to a contraction in the Eurozone’s GDP during the same period.
A 20-quarter streak of continuous job growth is a notable period of stability, marking a sustained post-pandemic recovery in terms of human capital. Maintaining this growth through a period of GDP contraction suggests a decoupling of the labor market from traditional industrial output, a phenomenon that can occur when firms prioritize retaining staff despite low demand.
This growth, however, is losing momentum. The 0.1% increase represents a slowdown from the 0.2% growth seen in the fourth quarter of 2025. On a year-on-year basis, employment in the euro area grew by 0.5%, which represents the lowest level of annual growth since the pandemic-era disruptions in 2021.
Divergent trends in major European economies
A significant divide has emerged between the economic engines of the Eurozone. While the bloc as a whole continues to add jobs, the performance of its largest members is increasingly fragmented.
- Italy and Spain: maintained relatively high job growth, with Italy at 0.4% and Spain at 0.3%.
- France: experienced a stall in employment growth, mirroring a lack of momentum seen in the previous quarter.
- Germany: reported a decline in employment, with jobs falling by 0.1% for the third consecutive quarter.
This divergence highlights growing economic fragmentation within the bloc. While southern economies like Italy and Spain have shown capacity to absorb labor, the industrial core, led by Germany, faces different structural pressures that have led to a multi-quarter decline in employment.
The data suggests a decoupling of labor market strength from industrial and economic output. As productivity remains low and GDP contracts, the continued ability of the Eurozone to sustain its 20-quarter streak of job creation remains a critical point of observation for the coming months.
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