Global Worker Shortages 2025: Countries and Professions in Highest Demand

Here’s a comprehensive overview of countries currently experiencing worker shortages, along with the professions most affected. I’ve organized the information by region and cited reputable sources.

Global Highlights

• Japan tops the list with a labor shortage rate of 85%, driven by an aging population. Critical gaps exist in healthcare, education, technology, agriculture, hospitality, and distribution sectors. Exploding Topics+1

• Germany (82%), Israel (82%), Greece (82%), Ireland (81%), Portugal (81%), UK (80%), France (80%), Canada (80%), Brazil (80%), Singapore (79%), Romania (79%) are also facing high labor shortages—often across high-skilled and essential service sectors. Exploding Topics

Europe: Country-by-Country Analysis

Widespread across EU members

All 31 EURES countries reported widespread occupational shortages, especially in healthcare, engineering, IT, welding, cooking, and electrical trades. Notably, Malta, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Italy, and Romania face the highest incidence of shortages. ela.europa.eu

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Specific Country Snapshots

• Italy: Critical shortages in healthcare, science, engineering, and hospitality—with massive unmet demand for doctors, nurses, engineers, and restaurant workers. Think Europe

• Sweden: Severe gaps among midwives, civil engineers, IT architects, police officers, healthcare assistants, bus drivers, and welders. Think Europe

• Ireland: Around 100,000 job vacancies, notably in construction, hospitality, and healthcare. Think Europe

• Portugal: Over 58,000 long-standing vacancies in IT, healthcare, hospitality, construction, agriculture, and renewable energy. Think Europe

• Germany, Netherlands, France, Sweden, Ireland: Facing shortages across healthcare, IT, construction, and services. TheTimes.com.ng

• Italy, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia: High-skilled job gaps in healthcare, IT, and engineering. TheTimes.com.ng

• Bulgaria, Ireland, Portugal: Plenty of high-skilled professionals, but struggling to fill low-skilled positions in retail, hospitality, and personal care. TheTimes.com.ng

• Greece, Spain, Netherlands: Mixed shortages—both high- and low-skilled positions needed. TheTimes.com.ng

• Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Czechia, Germany, Malta: High job vacancy rates (Q2 2024) — up to 4.4% in Belgium. Shortages are especially acute in manufacturing, construction, ICT, and services. Publications Office of the EU

• Greece: Construction is severely impacted, with worker shortages driving up wages in tourist areas; hospitality is also desperate for staff. Financial Times

Popular Professions in Short Supply

According to EURES, the most in-demand jobs across Europe include:

1. Bricklayers & related workers

2. Carpenters & joiners

3. Heavy truck/lorry drivers

4. Metalworking machine operators

5. Nursing professionals

6. Plumbers & pipe fitters

7. Electricians

8. Welders & flame cutters

9. Concrete placers & finishers

10. Sheet metal workers

11. Floor layers & tile setters

12. Software developers

13. Cooks

14. Construction labourers

15. Electrical mechanics & fitters EURES (EURopean Employment Services)

North America & Others

• United States: Over 10 million job openings, with critical shortages in construction (400,000+ workers), truck drivers (80,000), hospitality & leisure (200,000+), manufacturing, and cybersecurity (3 million globally). Worldmetrics

• Canada: Expecting an agricultural labor shortage of over 60,000 workers by 2025. Worldmetrics

Asia & Africa

• South Korea: Severe shortages of doctors, especially in pediatrics, obstetrics, and gynecology, particularly in rural areas. Many medical centers fail to fill their staffing quotas. Wikipedia

• Cameroon & Sub-Saharan Africa: Healthcare workforce is dwindling due to low pay and migration—Cameroon has fewer than seven nurses per 10,000 inhabitants, much lower than in comparable nations. AP News

Additional Examples

• Germany: Key shortages remain in industrial, construction, civil engineering, and services—though there are signs of easing. Reuters

• Australia: Faces a looming $140 billion economic impact due to apprenticeship declines; shortages in housing, aged care, energy, and defence sectors. The Australian

Summary Table