Brussels, 29/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - The total employment rate for people in the EU27 aged 20 to 64, which is the age group targeted in the EUROPE 2020 strategy, rose steadily from 66.8% in 2002 to 70.4% in 2008, then fell to 69.1% in 2009, and decreased further in 2010 to 68.6%. The employment rate for women in this age group, which increased continuously from 57.3% in 2000 to 63.0% in 2008, dropped for the first time in 2009 to 62.5%, then fell slightly again in 2010 to 62.1%. In contrast, the rate for older people, i.e. those aged 55 to 64, has continued to grow, reaching 46.3% in 2010, compared with 36.9% in 2000. This information comes from a report published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, based on the 2010 results of the European Labour Force Survey.
The report mainly illustrates that: - (a) in 2010, the employment rate for persons aged 20 to 64 was highest in Sweden (78.7%), the Netherlands (76.8%), Denmark (76.1%), Cyprus (75.4%), Germany and Austria (both 74.9%). The lowest rates were recorded in Malta (59.9%), Hungary (60.4%), Italy (61.1%), Spain (62.5%) and Romania (63.3%); the employment rates for those aged 55 to 64 were highest in Sweden (70.5%), Germany (57.7%), Denmark (57.6%) and the United Kingdom (57.1%), and lowest in Malta (30.2%), Poland (34.0%) and Hungary (34.4%); - (b) weekly working hours were longest for full-time employees in the United Kingdom (42.2), Austria (42), Bulgaria and the Czech Republic (41.2 each) and the shortest in Denmark (37.7), Ireland (38.4), the Netherlands (38.9) and Italy (39); - (c) the employment rates for women aged 20 to 64 ranged from 41.4% in Malta and 49.5% in Italy to 75.7% in Sweden, while for men in this age group it varied between 63.6% in Lithuania to 82.5% in Cyprus. In all member states, the male employment rate was higher than the female rate in 2010, except in Lithuania. In the EU in 2010, 81.5% of people working full time included 68.6% of women and 92.2% of men. The EU average showed employees usually working full-time hours on 40.4 hours per week - that is, 39.3 hours for women and 41.1 hours for men.
In its press release, Eurostat pointed out that in June 2010 the European Council set a new EU objective as part of the EU 2020 strategy, which aims to reach an employment rate of 75% for women and men aged between 20 to 64. For further details: http://www.ec.europa.eu/eurostat (G.B./transl.fl)