Number of vacancies no longer increasing

The number of unfilled vacancies did not increase any further in the second quarter of 2005. On 30 June 2005 the seasonally corrected figure for unfilled vacancies was 137 thousand. This is 4 thousand less than in the quarter before. In the previous six quarters, the number of vacancies kept increasing.

The number of unfilled vacancies in business services fell by 5 thousand to 80 thousand in the second quarter of 2005 compared to the first quarter. In the first quarter the number of job vacancies still rose by 10 thousand in this sector.

For the fifth quarter in a row, the job market is more dynamic than the year before, as is shown by the increases of new and filled vacancies. In the second quarter of 2005 there were 212 thousand new vacancies. This is 9 thousand more than the year before. Some 212 thousand vacancies were filled, 24 thousand more than the year before. The figures on new vacancies and vacancies filled are not seasonally corrected.

The vacancy rate is the number of unfilled vacancies per thousand jobs. It indicates how tight the labour market is. At the end of June 2005 there were 23 vacancies per thousand jobs, 3 more than the year before. The vacancy rate was higher than the year before in almost all sectors. Only in non-commercial services did the vacancy rate stay the same.

Job vacancies, seasonally adjusted

Job vacancies, seasonally adjusted