# Labour market slack

Unmet demand for work among people aged 15 to 74: the unemployed, part-time workers who want to work more hours, people available to work but not seeking, and people seeking work but not immediately available, as a percentage of the extended labour force (the labour force plus the last two groups).

## Key facts

- Labour market slack in the European Union (27) was 11.8% in 2025, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
- Finland had the highest labour market slack of 27 EU countries in 2025, at 19.5%, and Malta the lowest, at 4.9%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
- Published for 28 places, with figures from 2009 to 2025.
- Figures last updated on 2026-10-18.

- Indicator id: `labour_market_slack_share`
- Unit: %
- Note: Wider than the unemployment rate, which counts only the first group over the labour force. From the EU labour force survey. Eurostat flags series breaks (most in 2021, under the new framework regulation for social statistics); they are stored as status break.
- Web page: https://invokely.ai/en/labour-market-slack
- API: https://invokely.ai/api/v1/indicators/labour_market_slack_share

## Latest figures

| Place | Period | % | Source |
|---|---|---:|---|
| European Union (27) | 2025 | 11.8 | Eurostat. Labour market slack as a percentage of the extended labour force, 15 to 74 years (lfsi_sla_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_sla_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18. |

## Rankings

- [EU countries](https://invokely.ai/rankings/labour-market-slack/eu-countries.md) (27 places)