Best Countries In Europe To Get a Job

Getting a new job is not easy, and it is often compounded by the fact that a variety of economic factors make it an even more challenging experience. In a new report from Glassdoor Economic Research, in collaboration with Llewellyn Consulting, titled Where Is The Best Country In Europe To Get a Job?, we evaluate and compare job market conditions across 16 countries in Europe. The report looks at a host of different economic factors including: unemployment, temporary employment, involuntary part-time work and the employment gap (comparing current employment rates with those before the financial crisis in 2008). The research helps shed light on what countries have the best prospects for job seekers and also any limitations that exist that contribute to slowing the job market. "Where is the Best Country in Europe to Get a Job?” key findings:

• Estonia, Norway, the UK and Austria offer the best job prospects. These countries get a lot of things right, from the quality if the labour force, education and training and labour market policies.
• France has a markedly-more regulated labour market than the UK and Germany (since the so-called Hartz reforms of 2003), and offers far poorer job prospects. Spain, Greece, and Portugal, with their even-less-dynamic labour markets and combined lacklustre economic performance, have the worst prospects.
• Unemployment is particularly high in Greece and Spain, affecting around 25 percent of the labour force; and lowest in Norway, Switzerland, and Germany (5 percent or less).
• Spain, Greece, Italy, and Portugal have dramatically-high levels of youth unemployment and are by far the worst countries in which to be young and looking for work; Germany, Norway, and Switzerland are the best.
• It is easier to transition from a low-paid job into a high-quality job than to get there directly from unemployment
• Temporary contracts often mean less-than-ideal working hours, little flexibility, low pay and job security, and affect the young disproportionately. They are most common in Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal, affecting more than two in ten employed; and least common in Estonia, the UK, and Norway. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have bounced back strongly from the 2008 crisis, yet temporary employment amongst the young is relatively common.
• Involuntary part-time work has increased across the board since 2008, except in Germany, Belgium, and Sweden. The proportion of those who work part time, but would rather work full time, is highest in Italy, Spain, and Ireland, at around one in ten.
• The service sector’s importance has increased markedly. It employs the most people (accounting for around two thirds or more of total employment) and offers a wide range of jobs.

Read the full report and get insight as to what led to the findings noted above.