What specialists are in short supply in Europe

The European labour market is facing a serious shortage of personnel, especially in the fields of IT, artificial intelligence, medicine and engineering. The study covered 41 countries and about 39,000 employers. The results showed that about 7 out of 10 companies have difficulty finding employees. 🔹 Countries with the greatest shortage of staff 📈 Employers in the following countries have the greatest difficulty finding workers: 🇸🇰 Slovakia - 87% of companies are unable to fill vacancies 🇬🇷 Greece - 84% 🇩🇪 Germany - 83% 🇵🇹 Portugal - 82% 📉 A smaller shortage of workers was recorded: 🇵🇱 Poland — 57% 🇫🇮 Finland — 60% 🇨🇿 Czech Republic — 61% 🔹 The problem is growing rapidly Back in 2006, only about 40% of employers reported difficulties in hiring. In 2026, this figure rose to 72%, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. 🔹 The most scarce industries The most difficult areas for companies to find employees are in the following areas: ▪ IT — 75% ▪ Hotel and restaurant business — 74% ▪ Healthcare — 74% ▪ Scientific and technical services — 73% 🔹 What specialists are needed most In many European countries, the greatest demand is now for specialists in the field of artificial intelligence and IT. This is especially true in France, the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain. 🔹 Where engineers are most sought after The demand for engineers is particularly high in the following countries: 🇸🇪 Sweden — 26% of vacancies 🇳🇱 Netherlands — 28% 🇨🇿 Czech Republic — 31% 🇸🇰 Slovakia — 31% 🔹 Demand for logistics and HR In some countries, the shortage is also related to other professions: 🇧🇪 Belgium — logistics (19%) 🇮🇪 Ireland — logistics (18%) 🇳🇴 Norway — logistics (18%) 🇬🇷 Greece — HR professionals (21%)