Brussels, 20/08/2003 (Agence Europe) - In 2000, in the twelve candidate countries of the EU, 2.5 million companies employing 15 million were active in the industry, building, trade and services sectors, states Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. By way of comparison, in the fifteen EU member States, 10 million companies employing 80 million were active in 2000.
Within candidate countries, industry was the most important sector with regard numbers of employees. The turnover made by companies active in the four sectors together was EUR 780 billion in 2000 and was essentially made by trade and industry (food, tobacco, metallurgy and metal-working, distribution of electricity, gas and water). Cyprus, Malta and Poland have the highest values in terms of apparent labour productivity and turnover per person employed. Unit personnel costs were the highest in Malta and then in Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Hungary. Unit personnel costs were the lowest however in Romania and Bulgaria. Investment achieved in 2000 in candidate countries focused mainly on industry.