Vacances are positions that are available at firms but that are unfilled. Therefore, the number of vacancies quantifies labor demand by firms and captures how difficult it is for firms to find suitable workers.

The vacancy rate is defined as the number of vacancies divided by the total number of filled or vacant jobs (employment plus vacancies) and it is the equivalent of the unemployment rate for workers. 

The next graph presents the evolution of the number of vacancies and of the vacancy rate for the whole economy.

The next graph prensets the number and the vacancy rate for each sector of economic activity.