BRUSSELS: In 2023, 1.55 million people were employed in the sports sector in the EU, representing 0.76% of total employment. Compared with 2022 (1.51 million), the number of people employed in the sports sector increased by 2.2%, according to data published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, to mark the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Among the EU countries, Sweden had the highest share of people working in the field of sports (1.33% of total employment), followed by Denmark (1.25%) and Spain (1.16%).
In contrast, the lowest shares of people employed in the sports sector were registered in Romania (0.28% of total employment), Bulgaria (0.37%) and Slovakia (0.40%).
Employment in the sports sector differs from total employment in terms of age composition. More than one-third (37.4%) of people employed in sport were aged 15 29, which is more than twice the share reported in overall employment (17.4%) for the same age group in 2023.
The majority of those employed in sport were aged 30-64
, accounting for 59.1% of all sport workers, which was 20.6 percentage points (pp) less than the share of the same age group in the total employment (79.7%). People aged 65+ accounted for 3.5% in the sports sector and 3.0% in total employment.
More men were employed in the sports sector than women (55.2% and 44.8%, respectively), leading to a slightly larger gender employment gap of the population employed in this sector compared with overall employment (53.6% and 46.4%, respectively).
In terms of educational attainment level, sports workers exhibited characteristics similar to those in the total employment. Nearly half (45.9%) of those employed in sport had a medium level of education (International standard classification of education (ISCED), levels 3-4), 0.3 pp more than in total employment.
Those with higher (tertiary) education (ISCED levels 5-8) made up 39.6% of sport workers, which was 1.8 pp higher in sport than in total employment.
People with lower education (ISCED levels 0-2), accounted for 14
.4% of employment in sport (2.1 pp lower than in total employment).
Source: Emirates News Agency