Employment by main economic activity - Regions in EU-28

EU-28: Employment by main economic activity - Regions was 239.09 million Persons in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
239.09 million Persons
Change on year
up 1.4%
Rank
1st
of 3 regions
All-time high
239.09 million Persons
in 2018
All-time low
214.91 million Persons
in 2000
Years of data
19
2000–2018

Employment by main economic activity - Regions in EU-28, 2000–2018

050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M2000200920182000: 214.9M Persons2001: 216.5M Persons2002: 216.3M Persons2003: 217.2M Persons2004: 218.4M Persons2005: 220.6M Persons2006: 224.5M Persons2007: 228.8M Persons2008: 231.0M Persons2009: 226.9M Persons2010: 225.1M Persons2011: 225.2M Persons2012: 225.0M Persons2013: 224.5M Persons2014: 226.9M Persons2015: 229.4M Persons2016: 232.3M Persons2017: 235.9M Persons2018: 239.1M Persons

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.

Analysis

In 2018, employment by main economic activity - regions in EU-28 stood at 239.09 million Persons. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employment by main economic activity - regions in EU-28 peaked at 239.09 million Persons in 2018 and was at its lowest, 214.91 million Persons, in 2000.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.

Employment by main economic activity - Regions in EU-28, year by year

Annual values for Employment by main economic activity - Regions in EU-28, 2000 to 2018.
Year Persons Change
2000 214.91 million Persons
2001 216.47 million Persons +0.7%
2002 216.34 million Persons -0.1%
2003 217.18 million Persons +0.4%
2004 218.36 million Persons +0.5%
2005 220.62 million Persons +1.0%
2006 224.52 million Persons +1.8%
2007 228.77 million Persons +1.9%
2008 231.00 million Persons +1.0%
2009 226.91 million Persons -1.8%
2010 225.12 million Persons -0.8%
2011 225.24 million Persons +0.1%
2012 224.98 million Persons -0.1%
2013 224.49 million Persons -0.2%
2014 226.86 million Persons +1.1%
2015 229.39 million Persons +1.1%
2016 232.29 million Persons +1.3%
2017 235.90 million Persons +1.6%
2018 239.09 million Persons +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 221.51 million Persons 214.91 million Persons 231.00 million Persons 10
2010s 229.26 million Persons 224.49 million Persons 239.09 million Persons 9

Countries ranked near EU-28

  1. 1 United States of America 158.01 million Persons compare
  2. 2 Mexico 58.94 million Persons compare
  3. 3 Germany 45.99 million Persons compare
  4. 4 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 33.43 million Persons compare

See the full ranking of 49 places →

More economy & growth data for EU-28

All data for EU-28 →

Frequently asked questions

What is employment by main economic activity - regions in EU-28?
Employment by main economic activity - regions in EU-28 was 239.09 million Persons in 2018, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in EU-28?
The highest recorded value was 239.09 million Persons in 2018.
What is the lowest employment by main economic activity - regions recorded in EU-28?
The lowest recorded value was 214.91 million Persons in 2000.
How does EU-28 rank for employment by main economic activity - regions?
EU-28 ranks 1st out of 3 regions with data for 2018.
Is employment by main economic activity - regions rising or falling in EU-28?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this EU-28 data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Employment by main economic activity - Regions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employment by main economic activity - Regions in EU-28. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/employment-by-main-economic-activity-regions/eu-28/

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About this data

Indicator
Employment by main economic activity - Regions
Unit
Persons
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
49 places, 1,247 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides indicators on employment by 10 broad activities and labour utilisation, in large regions (TL2) and small regions (TL3). Data source and definition Employment data is collected from Eurostat for EU countries and via delegates of the OECD Working Party on Territorial Indicators (WPTI), as well as from national statistical offices' websites. Employment is measured at place of work. Labour utilisation is measured by the number of employment at place of work per capita, for total activity. See the Regional data sources. Definition of regions Regions are subnational units below national boundaries. OECD countries have two regional levels: large regions (territorial level 2 or TL2) and small regions (territorial level 3 or TL3). See the OECD Territorial grid. Use of economic data on small regions TL3 regions are grouped into typologies based on shared characteristics. For economic analysis, TL3 regions belonging to the same Functional Urban Area (FUA) with more than 250,000 inhabitants are aggregated into a single metropolitan region to reduce distortions from commuting. See the OECD Territorial Correspondence Table. Cite this dataset OECD Regions, Cities and Local Areas database http://oe.cd/geostats. Further information OECD Regions and Cities Statistical Atlas OECD Regions and Cities at a Glance For questions and/or comments, please email RegionStat@oecd.org.