Key findings: P0211 - Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), 2nd Quarter 2020

The number of employed persons decreased by 2,2 million to 14,1 million compared to the first quarter of 2020. Unemployment declined substantially as well by 2,8 million to 4,3 million compared to quarter 1 of 2020, and resulting in a decrease of 5,0 million (down by 21,4%) in the number of people in the labour force. The number of discouraged work-seekers, like the number of unemployed, decreased by 447 000, and the number of people who were not economically active for reasons other than discouragement increased by 5,6 million between the two quarters, resulting in a net increase of 5,2 million in the not economically active population. These changes resulted in a significant decrease of 6,8 percentage points in the official unemployment rate from 30,1% in quarter 1 2020 to 23,3% in quarter 2 2020. The unemployment rate according to the expanded definition of unemployment increased by 2,3 percentage points to 42,0% in quarter 2 2020 compared to quarter 1 2020.