In 2000, the industry of the EU-28 still employed, on average, around 26% of the total, a figure that has been reduced to 21.8% in 2018. The countries that maintain a significant weight of the industrial sector in the employment are mainly members recently joined the European Union, along with a few countries of the former EU-15 such as Germany, Portugal and Italy.
In the Czech Republic, which occupies the first place, the industry absorbs 36.5% of employment, with Slovakia and Poland next, both above 31%. Romania and Slovenia are close to 30%, while Estonia, Hungary, Croatia, Lithuania and Bulgaria have a share of employment in the industry exceeding 25%. Germany continues to have a relatively strong presence of industry in employment with 24.2%, as do Portugal and Italy with figures around 23%. Finland (22.8%) and Austria (22.7%) also surpass the average.
Below the average are Sweden with 19.8% and Luxembourg with 18.5%. In Spain, the industrial sector accounts for 18.2% of employment in 2018, when in 2000 we were still at 29.5% and 25.3% in 2008. Among the countries with the lowest figures are France and the United Kingdom, both somewhat above 16%, as well as the Netherlands and Greece that barely exceed 14%.