Gender employment gap ‘widest in Malta’, Eurostat study finds

The largest difference between the employment rate of women and men in EU member states was observed in Malta, information released by Eurostat reveals.

At the opposite end of the scale, the largest difference was observed in Malta: 53.6% for women vs. 81.4% for men (or -27.8 pp).

The EU average is of -11.6 pp.

The data also shows an increase in the employment rate of women aged 20 to 64, which in 2015 stood at 53.6% compared to the 52% in 2014.

 The difference between the employment rate of women and that of men aged 20-64 was lowest in Finland (71.8% for women vs. 73.9% for men, or -2.1 percentage points), Lithuania (-2.4 pp), Latvia (-4.0 pp) and Sweden (-4.2 pp).

Big gaps were also recorded in Italy (-20.0 pp), Greece (-18.0 pp), Romania (-17.5 pp) and the Czech Republic (-16.6 pp).

At EU level, the difference between the employment rate of women aged 20-64 (64.3%) and that of men aged 20-64 (75.9%) was  -11.6 pp in 2015, compared with -17.3 pp in 2002.

The data is based on the 2015 results of the European Labour Force Suvery.

In 2015, the employment rate of the population aged 20 to 64 in the European Union (EU) stood at 70.1%, up compared with 2014 (69.2%) although still remaining slightly below its 2008 peak (70.3%).

A similar pattern was observed for men: their employment rate hit 75.9% in 2015, an increase compared with 2014 (75.0%) but still below its 2008 level (77.8%).

As for women, their employment rate has continuously risen since 2010 to reach 64.3% in 2015, above previous peaks of 63.5% in 2014 and 62.8% in 2008.

The Europe 2020 strategy target is to reach a total employment rate for people aged 20 to 64 of at least 75% in the EU by 2020. This objective, the Eurostat explained, has been translated into national targets in order to reflect the situation and possibilities of each Member State to contribute to the common goal.

Malta’s 2020 target is of 70%. The figure in 2015 stood at 67.8%, compared to 66.4% in 2014.

The employment rate of persons aged 55 to 64 in the EU has grown steadily over the last years, from 38.4% in 2002 to 53.3% in 2015. The greater participation of older workers is also one of the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy on employment.

Continuous increase in employment rate for those aged 55 to 64 in the EU

From 2002 onwards, the employment rate of people aged 55-64 in the EU has grown steadily to reach 53.3% in 2015, compared with 38.4% in 2002. The growth was stronger for women (from 29.1% in 2002 to 46.9% in 2015) than for men (48.2% in 2002 vs. 60.1% in 2015). As a consequence, the gap between the employment rate of women and men aged 55-64 in the EU has been reduced, from a 19.1 percentage points difference in 2002 to a 13.2 pp difference in 2015.

Almost 3 persons out of 4 aged 55 to 64 in Sweden have a job

In 2015, at least half of the population aged 55 to 64 was in employment in twelve EU Member States. The highest employment rate for this age group was observed in Sweden (74.5%), followed by Germany (66.2%), Denmark (64.7%), Estonia (64.5%), the United Kingdom (62.2%) and the Netherlands (61.7%). On the other hand, the lowest employment rates were registered in Greece (34.3%), Slovenia (36.6%), Luxembourg (38.4%) and Croatia (39.0%). Compared with 2014, the employment rate for those aged 55 to 64 increased in 2015 in nearly all EU Member States.