The paper deals with an analysis of dynamics and the differentiation of basic features that characterize employment in European Union countries. The conducted research considered characteristics of the labour force such as the share of total labour compensation in the GDP, the number of hours worked and labour productivity. According to economic theory, this last variable plays a crucial role in the formation of the long-term economic growth. Also examined in the paper was the influence of the economic crisis on the behaviour of the indicated variables. A main statistical data source was the Total Economy Database published by the Conference Board. It can be seen from the results of the research that there exists growing international differences between the basic characteristics of labour force utilization and productivity. The conclusions were drawn on the grounds of a cluster analysis, which allowed deriving homogenous groups of countries according to the specificity of labour utilization and efficiency.