Between 2000 and 2009, real agricultural income3 per worker increased by 5% on average in the EU27, although the change differed significantly between the NMS12 (+61%) and the EU15 (-10%).
In 2009, the five Member States with the highest employment in the agricultural sector accounted for almost two thirds of the EU27 total: Poland (20% of EU27 employment in agricultural sector, the equivalent of 2.2 million full-time workers), Romania (19% and 2.1 million), Italy (10% and 1.2 million), Spain and France (both 8% and 0.9 million).
Between 2000 and 2009, employment in the agricultural sector fell in all Member States. In general, the largest decreases were found among the NMS12: Estonia (-55%), Bulgaria (-48%) and Slovakia (-43%). The smallest decreases were registered in Greece (-3%) and Ireland (-4%). Among the five Member States with the highest employment in the agricultural sector, employment fell by 11% in Poland, 41% in Romania, 16% in Italy and 17% in both Spain and France.
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