EU countries by temporary employees share
The Netherlands had the highest temporary employees share of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 31%. Romania had the lowest, at 1.2%. The median was 11.7% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 16.1%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
Map of EU countries, 2017
- Under 6.1
- 6.1 to 9.5
- 9.5 to 15
- 15 to 20
- 20 and over
All EU countries, 2017
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2017 (%) | Change on 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 31 | +0.9 pts |
| 2 | Spain | 26.8 | +0.7 pts |
| 3 | Poland | 26.1 | -1.4 pts |
| 4 | Portugal | 22.1 | -0.2 pts |
| 5 | Slovenia | 20.9 | +0.8 pts |
| 6 | Croatia | 20.4 | -1.4 pts |
| 7 | Finland | 18.6 | +0.3 pts |
| 8 | France | 15.7 | +0.5 pts |
| 9 | Italy | 15.5 | +1.5 pts |
| 9 | Sweden | 15.5 | 0 pts |
| 11 | Cyprus | 15.3 | -1.2 pts |
| 12 | Germany | 13.4 | -0.3 pts |
| 13 | Denmark Series break | 12.3 | -0.6 pts |
| 14 | Greece | 11.7 | +0.3 pts |
| 15 | Belgium Series break | 10.7 | +1.3 pts |
| 16 | Czechia | 9.6 | -0.1 pts |
| 17 | Austria | 9.4 | +0.2 pts |
| 18 | Ireland Series break | 9 | +0.2 pts |
| 18 | Luxembourg | 9 | +0.2 pts |
| 20 | Hungary | 8.6 | -0.8 pts |
| 21 | Slovakia | 6.4 | -0.3 pts |
| 22 | Malta | 6 | -1.6 pts |
| 23 | Bulgaria | 4.7 | +0.4 pts |
| 24 | Estonia | 3.3 | -0.5 pts |
| 25 | Latvia | 2.8 | -0.6 pts |
| 26 | Lithuania | 1.7 | -0.3 pts |
| 27 | Romania | 1.2 | -0.2 pts |
Other periods
About this ranking
Employees aged 15 to 64 with a temporary job or a fixed-term contract, as a percentage of all employees aged 15 to 64. A job is temporary when employer and employee agree that it ends on a set date, on completion of a task or on the return of a worker who is being replaced.
Counts employees only; self-employed people are excluded. 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.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Eurostat. Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.Citation styles
APA 7
Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a) (EU countries by temporary employees share, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a/default/table
MLA 9
Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a), EU countries by temporary employees share, 2017. Eurostat, European Commission, 10 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/temporary-employees-share/eu-countries?period=2017. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a). EU countries by temporary employees share, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/temporary-employees-share/eu-countries?period=2017.
Harvard
Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a), EU countries by temporary employees share, 2017 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/temporary-employees-share/eu-countries?period=2017 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_temporary_2017,
author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
title = {{Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi\_pt\_a): EU countries by temporary employees share, 2017}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a/default/table},
urldate = {2026-10-18},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/temporary-employees-share/eu-countries?period=2017. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi\_pt\_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi\_pt\_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - Eurostat, European Commission
TI - Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a): EU countries by temporary employees share, 2017
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
PB - Eurostat, European Commission
DB - Invokely
UR - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a/default/table
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/temporary-employees-share/eu-countries?period=2017
Y2 - 2026/10/18
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/temporary-employees-share/eu-countries?period=2017.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/lfsi_pt_a/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER -
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Rank EU countries by temporary employees share using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"temporary_employees_share","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=temporary_employees_share&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest temporary employees share?
The Netherlands, with 31% in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which EU country has the lowest temporary employees share?
Romania, with 1.2% in 2017.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a). Retrieved 2026-10-18.