The job vacancy rate in EU states in the first quarter fell mostly in Malta, Italy and Latvia, Eurostat, the statistical branch of the European Union said.

It said on Tuesday that in the first quarter of 2020, when COVID-19 containment measures began to be widely introduced by member states, the job vacancy rate in the euro area was 1.9%, down from 2.2% in the previous quarter and from 2.3% in the first quarter of 2019.

In the EU, the job vacancy rate was also 1.9% in the first quarter of 2020, down from 2.1% in the previous quarter and from 2.3% in the first quarter of 2019. In the euro area, this was 1.6% in industry and construction, and 2% in services. In the EU, the rate was 1.7% in industry and construction, and 2% in services.

Among member states for which comparable data is available, the highest job vacancy rates in the first quarter of 2020 were recorded in Czechia (5.7%), Belgium (3.2%), and Austria (2.9%). In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Poland (0.6%), Italy, Ireland and Bulgaria (all 0.7%).

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, the job vacancy rate, among countries for which data is available in the first quarter of 2020, fell in 20 member states and remained stable in Spain, Cyprus, Luxembourg and Finland.

The largest decreases were registered in Italy, Latvia and Malta (-1.1 percentage point in all).