EU countries by temporary employees share

The Netherlands had the highest temporary employees share of 27 EU countries in 2020, at 27.1%. Romania had the lowest, at 1.2%. The median was 10.5% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 13.8%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest27.1Netherlands
Lowest1.2Romania
Median10.527 EU countries
European Union (27)13.8History

Map of EU countries, 2020

Austria: 8.4 %Belgium: 10.5 %Bulgaria: 3.7 %Cyprus: 13.6 %Czechia: 7 %Germany: 11.2 %Denmark: 10.9 %Estonia: 2.8 %Spain: 24.2 %Finland: 17.2 %France: 13.9 %Greece: 10.3 %Croatia: 15.1 %Hungary: 5.7 %Ireland: 8.6 %Italy: 15.2 %Lithuania: 1.2 %Luxembourg: 7.6 %Latvia: 2.6 %Malta: 8 %Netherlands: 27.1 %Poland: 18.5 %Portugal: 17.9 %Romania: 1.2 %Sweden: 14.3 %Slovenia: 12.8 %Slovakia: 4.4 %
  • Under 4.7
  • 4.7 to 8.5
  • 8.5 to 12
  • 12 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2020. Source: Eurostat, Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2020

Netherlands: 27.1 %Netherlands27.1Spain: 24.2 %Spain24.2Poland: 18.5 %Poland18.5Portugal: 17.9 %Portugal17.9Finland: 17.2 %Finland17.2Italy: 15.2 %Italy15.2Croatia: 15.1 %Croatia15.1Sweden: 14.3 %Sweden14.3France: 13.9 %France13.9Cyprus: 13.6 %Cyprus13.6Slovenia: 12.8 %Slovenia12.8Germany: 11.2 %Germany11.2Denmark: 10.9 %Denmark10.9Belgium: 10.5 %Belgium10.5Greece: 10.3 %Greece10.3Ireland: 8.6 %Ireland8.6Austria: 8.4 %Austria8.4Malta: 8 %Malta8Luxembourg: 7.6 %Luxembourg7.6Czechia: 7 %Czechia7Hungary: 5.7 %Hungary5.7Slovakia: 4.4 %Slovakia4.4Bulgaria: 3.7 %Bulgaria3.7Estonia: 2.8 %Estonia2.8Latvia: 2.6 %Latvia2.6Lithuania: 1.2 %Lithuania1.2Romania: 1.2 %Romania1.2Netherlands: 27.1 %Netherlands27.1Spain: 24.2 %Spain24.2Poland: 18.5 %Poland18.5Portugal: 17.9 %Portugal17.9Finland: 17.2 %Finland17.2Italy: 15.2 %Italy15.2Croatia: 15.1 %Croatia15.1Sweden: 14.3 %Sweden14.3France: 13.9 %France13.9Cyprus: 13.6 %Cyprus13.6Slovenia: 12.8 %Slovenia12.8Germany: 11.2 %Germany11.2Denmark: 10.9 %Denmark10.9Belgium: 10.5 %Belgium10.5Greece: 10.3 %Greece10.3Ireland: 8.6 %Ireland8.6Austria: 8.4 %Austria8.4Malta: 8 %Malta8Luxembourg: 7.6 %Luxembourg7.6Czechia: 7 %Czechia7Hungary: 5.7 %Hungary5.7Slovakia: 4.4 %Slovakia4.4Bulgaria: 3.7 %Bulgaria3.7Estonia: 2.8 %Estonia2.8Latvia: 2.6 %Latvia2.6Lithuania: 1.2 %Lithuania1.2Romania: 1.2 %Romania1.2
%. Source: Eurostat, Employees with a temporary contract as a percentage of all employees, 15 to 64 years (lfsi_pt_a). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Netherlands27.1-2.1 pts
2Spain24.2-2.1 pts
3Poland18.5-3.2 pts
4Portugal17.9-3 pts
5Finland17.2-1 pts
6Italy15.2-1.8 pts
7Croatia15.1-2.8 pts
8Sweden14.3-0.9 pts
9France13.9-0.9 pts
10Cyprus13.60 pts
11Slovenia12.8-2.9 pts
12Germany Series break11.2-1.3 pts
13Denmark10.9+0.1 pts
14Belgium10.5-0.7 pts
15Greece10.3-2.5 pts
16Ireland8.6-1 pts
17Austria8.4-0.5 pts
18Malta8-1.3 pts
19Luxembourg7.6-1.5 pts
20Czechia7-0.8 pts
21Hungary5.7-0.6 pts
22Slovakia4.4-0.9 pts
23Bulgaria3.7-0.8 pts
24Estonia2.8-0.3 pts
25Latvia2.6-0.4 pts
26Lithuania1.2-0.3 pts
26Romania1.2-0.2 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

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

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, 2020) [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, 2020. 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=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

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, 2020 [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=2020 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_temporary_2020,
  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, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/temporary-employees-share/eu-countries?period=2020.
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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Questions

Which EU country has the highest temporary employees share?

The Netherlands, with 27.1% in 2020, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest temporary employees share?

Romania, with 1.2% in 2020.

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.

EU countries: more rankings