Job vacancy levels across Europe showed limited movement at the end of 2025, with Bulgaria remaining among the countries with the lowest rates, according to Eurostat data. In the fourth quarter, the vacancy rate in the euro area edged up slightly to 2.2% from 2.1% in the previous quarter, although it remained below the 2.5% recorded a year earlier. Across the European Union, the rate held steady at 2% for a second consecutive quarter, also below the 2.3% level seen in the final quarter of 2024.

In Bulgaria, the share of unfilled positions stood at 0.8% for the second quarter in a row, placing the country among those with the lowest levels in the EU. Only Romania at 0.6% and Poland at 0.7% reported lower figures. Compared with the same period a year earlier, Bulgaria registered a modest increase of 0.1 percentage points, up from 0.7% in the fourth quarter of 2024.

At the other end of the scale, the highest job vacancy rates were observed in the Netherlands at 3.9%, followed by Belgium with 3.5% and Malta at 3.3%. Germany, Cyprus and Austria also reported relatively elevated levels, each at 2.8%.

Sector data show that in the euro area, vacancies reached 2.1% in industry and construction and 2.4% in services. The pattern was similar across the EU, where the rates stood at 1.9% for industry and construction and 2.2% for services.

Looking at annual changes, six EU member states recorded increases in their vacancy rates, seven saw no change, and fourteen reported declines. The most notable rises were in Lithuania, up by 0.3 percentage points, and Malta, up by 0.4 points. The sharpest drops were registered in Austria, down by 0.8 percentage points, Belgium by 0.6 points, and Finland by 0.5 points, followed by Germany with a 0.4-point decline and Latvia with a 0.3-point decrease.