BRUSSELS, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The job vacancy rate, which measures the proportion of the total posts that are vacant, rose to 1.7 percent in the 19-country eurozone in the first quarter this year, up from 1.6 percent in both the previous quarter (Q4 2015) and the first quarter of 2015, figures showed Monday.
Meanwhile, in wider 28-country European Union, the job vacancy rate increased to 1.8 percent in Q1 2016, up from 1.7 percent in both the previous quarter and the first quarter of 2015, according to data issued by Eurostat, the EU's statistical office.
Among the EU member states, the highest job vacancy rates in Q1 2016 were recorded in Belgium (2.6 percent), the Czech Republic, Germany and Sweden (all 2.5 percent), and the lowest in Greece (0.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015), Spain and Portugal (both 0.7 percent) and Poland (0.8 percent).
Compared with a year ago, the job vacancy rate in Q1 2016 rose in 22 EU member states, remained stable in three and fell in three.
According to Eurostat, a job vacancy is defined as a paid post which the employer intends to fill either immediately or in the near future.
