Big decline in agricultural employment across the EU

BETWEEN 2000 and 2009, agricultural employment in the EU-27 slumped 25%, representing the disappearance of 3.7 million full-time jobs.

Employment shrank by 17% in the EU-15, and by 31% in the other 12 member states that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. The trend has left only 11.2m full-time agricultural jobs in the EU-27, of which 5.4m are in the EU-15, and 5.8m in the other 12 member states.

Between 2000 and 2009, real agricultural income per worker fell 10% in the EU-15, but advanced 61% in the 12 new member states. This resulted in a 5% increase on average in the EU.