The supply-demand mismatch increased dramatically after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the workplace, and the European job market is seemingly struggling to keep up.
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AI and IT emerge as some of the hardest roles to fill for employers and recruiters, according to the 2026 Global Talent Shortage report by global HR firm Manpower.
The study, conducted in 41 countries and on 39,000 employers, highlights that around seven in 10 businesses struggle to find the right fit for a variety of roles.
Slovakia, Greece and Portugal most affected in Europe
Globally, European countries report some of the highest talent shortage rates.
Slovakia is top of the list with 87% of managers surveyed unable to fill all roles needed, followed by Greece and Japan with 84%, Germany (83%) and Portugal (82%), while China (48%), Poland (57%), Finland (60%) and the Czech Republic (61%) show far fewer hiring problems.
The supply-demand mismatch has increased dramatically over the past decade. From around 40% of managers struggling to recruit in 2006 to 72% in 2026, the rate skyrocketed noticeably after the COVID-19 pandemic.
And when it comes to specific industries, recruiting is harder in fields like IT (75%), hospitality (74%), health (74%), and scientific and technical services (73%).
Large-sized companies — those with 1,000 employees or more — are the ones facing the most issues in general, with a talent shortage rate of at least 74%.
Which country needs what skills specifically?
Regarding the most sought-after capabilities, in the UK and much of the rest of Europe, the focus is all on IT and AI.
British businesses need people who can use AI models (19%), develop apps (17%) or who have traditional IT and data skills (17%).
France also lacks AI (19%) and IT and data-savvy people (16%) — but also needs staff with manufacturing skills (16%), and it's a similar picture in countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain.
However, it's not all about AI. For example, Sweden (26%), the Netherlands (28%), the Czech Republic (31%) and Slovakia (31%) want more engineers.
At the same time, logistics emerged as one of the hardest fields to recruit in Belgium (19%), Ireland (18%) and Norway (18%), while Greece seems the only country in desperate need of HR professionals (21%).
How are employers trying to fix talent scarcity?
Most Latin American and Caribbean employers (for example, those in Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Peru and Panama) are after sales and marketing people. The exceptions to this are Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, more focused on AI staffing.
The full Manpower research, seen by Europe in Motion, also outlines what soft skills most employers are looking for: teamwork and collaboration, work ethic, adaptability, problem-solving and time management.
Interestingly, the way most business leaders intend to address talent shortage is by looking internally first rather than hiring from the outside.
The most common answer to fixing the shortage, according to the research, is, in fact, "upskilling & reskilling current employees" (27%), followed by other internal solutions such as bringing in more schedule flexibility (20%) and higher salaries (19%).
Expanding the talent pool by looking externally comes only in fourth place (18%), level with offering more flexibility in terms of the location of work.