Statistics in Focus: Population and social conditions. Labour Force Survey Principal results 2002 EU and EFTA countries. 2003

Abstract

The spring 2002 Labour Force Survey provides the following estimates for the 374.8 million people living in private households in the EU: > 163.0 million had a job during the reference week of the survey: - 64.2% of the population aged 15-64 was employed. The employment rate was as high as 70% or more in Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and also in the three EFTA countries. It was less than 60% in Belgium, Greece Spain and Italy. The employment rate was on average 17.4 percentage points higher for males (72.9% at EU level against 55.5% for females). In Finland and Sweden, the difference did not reach 4 percentage points compared to 24 percentage points or more in Greece, Spain, Italy and Luxembourg.