The shift towards a service economy is a long-term trend already observed in the EU in the second half of the 20th century. In 2018, employment in services accounted for 74% of total employment in the EU compared with 66 % in 2000, according to the latest figures of the European Statistical office (Eurostat).
Meanwhile, employment in industry decreased in the last two decades in the EU, from 26% in 2000 to 22% in 2018, and agriculture halved from 8% to 4%. As regards value added, services generated 73% of total value added in 2018, industry 25% and agriculture 2%.
The situation in Finland is in line with the European trend. According to Eurostat, 73.1% of jobs in Finland are in services, 22.8% in the industry and 4.1% in agriculture. In terms of value added, services generated 68.5% of total value added, industry 28.7% and Agriculture 2.9%.
The latest labor market forecast published in May by the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment predicts that employment growth relies entirely in the service sector until 2020. In the industry, employment will stay at the level of 2018, while in construction "will not grow anymore". The number of unemployed in labor force survey will be 174,000 persons in 2019 and 166,000 persons in 2020, according to the Finnish Government.
Among the Member States, the share of agricultural employment in 2018 was the highest in Romania (23% of total employment), Bulgaria (18%), Greece (11%) and Poland (10%), while the highest shares for industrial employment were observed in Czechia (37%), Slovakia (32%), Poland (31%), Romania and Slovenia (both 30%).
Service activities represented 80% of total employment or just over in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Malta, France, Luxembourg and Denmark.
