How European countries use labour migration to address labour market shortages

Labour shortages in the EU have more than doubled over the past decade. New EMN research examines how European countries are addressing labour shortages.

> Read the full EMN study (comparison between 25 EU Member States and EMN Observer Countries*)

The doubling is due in part to ageing populations, the digital and green transition, and the lasting effects of the COVID pandemic. In recent years, many countries have introduced new policies. European countries are dealing with this in various ways. Shortages exist across all qualification levels and sectors, including construction, healthcare, and ICT. Many countries need to attract foreign talent to meet the rapidly changing demands of the labour market. At the same time, countries also acknowledge the challenges and risks of labour migration, such as language and integration difficulties, exploitation, poor working and living conditions, and additional pressure on housing and public services.

In most EU Member States, initiatives to attract foreign workers come from employers and private recruitment agencies. Only in France, Germany, and Luxembourg is the government involved in recruitment abroad. In all countries, the domestic workforce is given priority when addressing labour shortages.

Common policy instruments for managing labour migration

• labour market tests (also in the Netherlands);
• shortage occupation lists (sometimes linked to exemption from the labour market test, for example in France and Spain);
• quotas (in Slovakia for drivers, industrial workers, and university graduates);
• streamlined procedures (accelerated procedure in Finland, digitalization in Austria, introduction of central immigration authorities in some German federal states);
• bilateral agreements with non-EU/EFTA countries, for both recruitment and selection (in France for shortage occupations with Senegal and Tunisia);
• EU Talent Partnerships (the Netherlands as observer for Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia) and migration partnerships (i.e. the Skilled Driver Mobility for Europe project in Germany, for attracting professional drivers).

*Participating countries: Austria (AT), Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), Cyprus (CY), Czech Republic (CZ), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Greece (EL), Finland (FI), France (FR), Hungary (HU), Ireland (IE), Italy (IT), Croatia (HR), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Latvia (LV), Malta (MT), Netherlands (NL), Poland (PL), Slovenia (SI), Slovakia (SK), Spain (ES), Sweden (SE); Serbia (RS)