The average estimated professional life for 15 years old youths in EU was 36.9 years in 2023, while Romania is last in the top with an average of 32.3 years, on the rise from 31.3 years in 2021 and 32 years in 2022, according to Eurostat data released on Thursday. According to those data, there are EU member states where the average professional life span is over 40 years, in countries like the Netherlands (43.7 years), Sweden (43.1 years) and Denmark (41.3 years). In contrast, the lowest professional life span recorded last year in Romania (32.2 years), Italy (32.9 years) and Croatia (34 years). The division on sexes shows that the estimated average professional life in higher among men (39 years in EU), than women (34.7 years). Among member states, the average professional life for men varies between 45.7 years in the Netherlands and 35.4 years in Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania (both with 35.6 years). For women, the average professional life varies between 41.9 years in Sweden and 28.3 years in Italy, forllowed by Romania (28.5 years). Eurostat points out that the estimated average professional life has constantly risen in EU. In 2020 it dropped for the first time, as a result of the health crisis, from 34.7 years in 2013 to 35.9 years in 2019, to go down to 35.6 years in 2020. In 2021 it returned to the level recorded before the pandemic. In Romania's case, the estimated duration of the average professional life grew from 32.8 years in 2014 to 33.8 years in 2019 to reach 33.7 years in 2020 and31.1 years in 2021. As of 2022 it went up to 32 years and to 32.2 years in 2023.