Eurostat: In which EU countries there are most vacancies

Empty jobs are an important market indicator and reflect employers’ needs in various sectors.

According to Eurostat, the rate of vacancies in the EU varies with the country and industry. In 2024, the average percentage in the eurozone was about 2.5%-3%, with countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium showing higher rates (over 3%) due to a lack of specialized workforce. Austria also appears in countries with over 3%. On the other hand, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania had the lowest rates (0.7%), with Spain following 0.9%.

Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are on the list of EU vacancies in the EU

The biggest gaps were observed in Denmark, Spain, Croatia and Malta. The largest reductions were recorded in Germany, Greece in France and Austria.

In which areas are most vacant jobs observed

The highest rates of vacancies were recorded in the « administrative and support activities ». Following are « Constructions, Information and Communication », « Scientific and Technical Activities » and « Accommodation and Catering Provision ».

Among the vacancies announced electronically by sales, marketing and development managers were in the highest demand.

Public sector professions, such as healthcare workers and teachers, also present gaps, but are not ranked among the most sought after professions. This may be due to the fact that these positions are often not announced electronically.

Demands

• Technology and Informatics: developers, artificial intelligence experts, cyber security.
• Health: Nurses, doctors, elderly carers.
• Constructions and Engineering: Technicians, Engineers, Workers.
• Green economy: Renewable energy experts and environmental technologies due to the shift to climate neutrality.
• Services: Tourism, hospitality and retail workers.

There is demand for developers, artificial intelligence experts and cyber security.

Differences

• Western Europe: High demand for specialized professionals (eg Germany: 1.2 million vacancies in 2024).
• Eastern Europe: More opportunities in manual work and less in high -specific roles.
• Southern Europe: Countries such as Greece and Spain show an increase in vacancies in tourism and services, but lower rates in technology.

Challenges

• Lack of skills: Many positions remain vacant due to disagreement between employee skills and employer requirements.
• Population aging: In countries such as Italy and Germany, the reduction of the workforce increases vacancies.
• Migration: Mobility within the EU helps, but bureaucracy (eg qualifications) remains obstacle.

For 2025, the EU invests in « green » and « digital » transition, leading to an increase in positions related to technology and sustainability. The European Commission’s work program for 2025 focuses on competitiveness and simplification, which can create new opportunities.

The EU invests in ‘green’ and ‘digital’ transition

In Greece

A taste of what are the skills that employers in Greece ask for and why they find it difficult to find them, the new gives us Research by the Institute of Small Businesses of the General Confederation of Professional Craftsmen of Greece (IME-GSEVE). The research conducted in collaboration with GPO polling company, on a sample of about 1000 businesses, mainly small and small, from all over Greece, focuses mainly on « mild » or horizontal skills – the so -called soft skills.

To the question « what do you think will be the most critical skills for the next five years », 44.2% of employers reported digital skills, 36.2% technical skills for the profession, 31.9% of continuous learning, development and adaptation and 27.7% of communication skills and communication skills. The capacity of cooperation-group work (10.9%), problem solving (10.4%) and programming and organization skills (8.8%) follow with lower rates (10.9%).

Regarding specialties that are identified vacant jobs, one in four employers – of those looking for an employee – reported deficiencies to specialized craftsmen and related professions (26.5%). Following are the vacancies for employees in service and sellers (24.6%). 17.6% said there were vacancies for professionals and 13.2% for office employees.