Job vacancies, Q3 2016

In the 3rd quarter of 2016 there were 51 200 job vacancies. This is 600 fewer job vacancies than in the 3rd quarter of 2015, nevertheless it is approximately the same level as last year. The percentage of job vacancies of 1.8 per cent was unchanged between the two quarters.

In transportation and storage, the number of job vacancies decreased by 400 from the 3rd quarter of 2015 to the 3rd quarter this year. This corresponds to a decrease of 22 per cent. The decrease in job vacancies continued in mining and quarrying – an industry dominated by the production of oil and gas. In this industry there were 300 job vacancies in the 3rd quarter of 2016, compared to 600 in the same quarter of 2015. Back in 2012, the number was as high as 2 100.

Education and public administration had a decrease in the number of job vacancies of 30 and 29 per cent respectively from the 3rd quarter of 2015 to the same quarter of 2016. Residential care activities had a decrease of 1 800 job vacancies in the same period. There were still 6 900 job vacancies in this industry, corresponding to 3.7 per cent of all jobs in this industry. This percentage is more than twice as high as the percentage for all industries as a whole.

Increase in some industries

Professional, scientific and technical activities had an increase of 57 per cent in job vacancies from the 3rd quarter in the previous year, from 2 100 to 3 300. In manufacture, the number of job vacancies increased from 1 700 in the 3rd quarter of 2015 to 2 000 in the same quarter of 2016.

A small growth in job vacancies in the EU

The job vacancy rate in the EU was 1.8 per cent in the 2nd quarter of 2016, up 0.1 percentage point from the same quarter the previous year. The comparison with other countries is based on the 2nd quarter of 2016 as the figures for the 3rd quarter of 2016 have not yet been published. In addition, agriculture, forestry and fishing are excluded. The job vacancy rates between countries in the EU/EEA area vary considerably.

In the 2nd quarter of 2016, the job vacancy rate was 0.9 in Bulgaria, 0.7 in Portugal and 0.8 in Spain. At the same time, the job vacancy rate was 2.5 in the United Kingdom, 2.3 in Sweden and 2.4 in Germany. By comparison, Norway had a job vacancy rate of 2.0 per cent in the 2nd quarter of 2016.

Looking at the development of the job vacancy rate for the period from the 2nd quarter of 2013 to the 2nd quarter of 2016, there is also a difference between EU and Norway. The job vacancy rate decreases in Norway while it increases in EU.