European Union Services Employment

The European Union’s share of employment in services has risen steadily over the 35‑year span from 56.05 percent in 1991 to a record 72.86 percent in 2025, the highest level recorded in the series and the fourth‑largest share among the peer group of advanced economies. This increase reflects the deepening structural shift toward a post‑industrial economy, where service‑intensive sectors such as finance, information technology and professional services have expanded faster than manufacturing. The EU’s 2025 figure of 72.86 percent places it just below Germany’s 72.95 percent and above Portugal’s 72.67 percent, underscoring its competitive position within the region. The upward trajectory mirrors broader trends in the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands, where service employment similarly eclipsed 70 percent during the 2010s. Continued digitalisation, demographic aging and potential policy incentives for high‑value services suggest that the EU’s services employment share is likely to maintain its upward path, provided that labour market reforms keep pace with technological change.