Employment in EU regions: Employment grew in 9 out of 10 EU regions in 2017

In 2017, 253 of the EU regions (90%) saw their employment grow. In 26 other regions, the number of people employed decreased and in a further 2 employment remained stable.

Growth in employment varied widely across the EU regions and within countries. The highest employment growth rates were recorded in Mayotte in France (+7.7%), Malta, Algarve in Portugal and Central Bohemia in Czechia(all +5.3%), followed by Herefordshire, Worcestershire & Warwickshire in the United Kingdom (+4.7%), SouthCentral in Bulgaria and Lisbon Metropolitan Area in Portugal (both +4.1%).

At the opposite end of the scale, the biggest decreases in employment were registered in Basilicata in Italy (-2.7%), Cumbria in the United Kingdom (-2.4%), Central and Western Region in Lithuania (-2.1%), South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom (-2.0%) and Liguria in Italy (-1.9%). In the EU as a whole, employment grew by 1.6% in 2017.

Largest employment growth in Mayotte in France

In 19 EU regions, the employment growth exceeded 3%. Three each of these regions were located in Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom, two in Romania and one each in Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia.

In 25 EU regions, the number of employed people decreased in 2017. In nine of these regions, the number of employed fell by more than 1%. Five of these regions were located in the United Kingdom, two in Italy and one in Lithuania and Poland.

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