In 2004, 194.5 million persons aged 15 and upwards were in employment in the 25-member Europe. The percentage of workers aged between 15 and 64 was 63.3%. In 2000 it was 62.4%. The percentage of women workers in 2004 was 55.7%. As regards people in the 55 to 64 age group the percentage reached 41%, a slight growth over the 36.6% registered in 2000. These are the data published by Eurostat, which has also analysed the number of workers in the individual States of the EU. In top place, in terms of the data for workers aged between 16 and 64, is Denmark (70%), followed by Holland (73.1%), Sweden (72.1%), and the UK (71.6%). The countries that languish at the bottom of this classification are Poland (51.7%), Malta (54.1%), Hungary (56.8%) and Slovakia (57%). Denmark and Sweden registered the highest percentage of women workers in 2004, while Malta, Italy and Greece (approx. 32%) are at the bottom of the table. In particular, Malta registered the greatest disparity between male and female employment with a gap of 42%, followed by Greece (almost 30%), while in Spain and Italy the disparity is 25%. Sweden (3%), Finland (4%) and Estonia (6%) registered the lowest disparities. As regards persons of more mature age, between 55 and 64, the percentage of those that work is high in Sweden (69.1%), Denmark (60.3%), the United Kingdom (56.2%), Estonia (52.4%), Finland (50.9%) and Portugal (50,3%), while it is low in Poland (26.2%), Slovakia (26.8%), Austria (28.8%) and Slovenia (29%). Altogether in the 25-member Europe 31.7% of women in this age group work, as against 50,7% of men. The contracts mainly proposed to them are short term (14.4% for women, 13.2% for men), but each State presents differences.
