Labour market participation by sex and age - Statistics explained

Persons aged 15-24 tend not to be in the labour force: in 2009, 56.1% of young men and women in that age category in the EU-27 were inactive, making a total of 33.3 million persons. The rate of inactivity in this age group ranges from 28.3% in Denmark and 28.4% in the Netherlands to 75.4% in Hungary and 70.9% in Italy. Differences between countries are largely explained by the number of students having or seeking a job (as they are then classified as employed or unemployed instead of inactive persons, even if the job is a minor one).