Jobs gap in Western Europe

Western Europe: Jobs gap was 12,392 in 2027. ▼ Falling

Latest (2027)
12,392
Change on year
down 0.9%
Rank
56th
of 87 groups
All-time high
14,065
in 2005
All-time low
10,879
in 2019
Years of data
24
2004–2027

Jobs gap in Western Europe, 2004–2027

05.0k10.0k15.0k2004201520272004: 13.1k2005: 14.1k2006: 13.6k2007: 12.4k2008: 11.5k2009: 12.4k2010: 12.0k2011: 12.0k2012: 12.1k2013: 12.7k2014: 12.9k2015: 12.9k2016: 12.6k2017: 12.0k2018: 11.4k2019: 10.9k2020: 12.9k2021: 12.3k2022: 11.6k2023: 11.9k2024: 12.1k2025: 12.4k2026: 12.5k2027: 12.4k

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

In 2027, jobs gap in Western Europe stood at 12,392.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, jobs gap in Western Europe peaked at 14,065 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 10,879, in 2019.

Western Europe ranks 56th of 87 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.

Jobs gap in Western Europe, year by year

Annual values for Jobs gap (ILO modelled estimates) in Western Europe, 2004 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2004 13,129 —
2005 14,065 +7.1%
2006 13,572 -3.5%
2007 12,381 -8.8%
2008 11,472 -7.3%
2009 12,398 +8.1%
2010 12,039 -2.9%
2011 12,008 -0.3%
2012 12,116 +0.9%
2013 12,745 +5.2%
2014 12,925 +1.4%
2015 12,917 -0.1%
2016 12,610 -2.4%
2017 12,011 -4.7%
2018 11,372 -5.3%
2019 10,879 -4.3%
2020 12,917 +18.7%
2021 12,332 -4.5%
2022 11,638 -5.6%
2023 11,906 +2.3%
2024 12,134 +1.9%
2025 12,401 +2.2%
2026 12,509 +0.9%
2027 12,392 -0.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 12,836 11,472 14,065 6
2010s 12,162 10,879 12,925 10
2020s 12,279 11,638 12,917 8

More work & labour data for Western Europe

All data for Western Europe →

Frequently asked questions

What is jobs gap in Western Europe?
Jobs gap in Western Europe was 12,392 in 2027, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest jobs gap recorded in Western Europe?
The highest recorded value was 14,065 in 2005.
What is the lowest jobs gap recorded in Western Europe?
The lowest recorded value was 10,879 in 2019.
How does Western Europe rank for jobs gap?
Western Europe ranks 56th out of 87 groups with data for 2027.
Is jobs gap rising or falling in Western Europe?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Western Europe data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Jobs gap (ILO modelled estimates). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Jobs gap in Western Europe. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/jobs-gap-ilo-modelled-estimates/western-europe/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/jobs-gap-ilo-modelled-estimates/western-europe/">Jobs gap in Western Europe</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Jobs gap (ILO modelled estimates)
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
87 places, 2,088 data points, 2004–2027
Last refreshed

Imputed observations are not based on national data, are subject to high uncertainty and should not be used for country comparisons or rankings. This series is based on the 13th ICLS definitions. The jobs gap is defined as the sum of the unemployed, the potential labour force and willing non-jobseekers. For more information, refer to the ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST) database description.