(15 November 2019) – In 2018, 82% of young people aged 20-34 who had successfully obtained at least an upper secondary level of education in the past 1-3 years and are not in further education were in employment.
This figure has increased for five years in a row, up from a relative low of 75% in 2013, recorded in the aftermath of the global financial and economic crisis.
In 2018, the employment rate for recent graduates reached 90% or higher in 75 NUTS2 regions concentrated across much of Czechia, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden, with the south-east German region of Lower Bavaria recording the highest regional employment rate for recent graduates (98%).
In contrast, less than one third of recent graduates were in employment in four EU regions. Three were in southern Italy: Sicilia (27%), Basilicata and Calabria (both 31%), and the region of Central Greece (32%; low reliability).