---
title: "OECD: Europe Faces Acute Shortage of Teachers, Doctors, and IT Specialists While Blue-Collar Jobs Are Easily Filled"
description: "The OECD has published a report covering 27 European countries: teachers, doctors, and IT specialists remain the hardest-to-fill professions, while blue-collar jobs are easily filled. Youth unemployment is rising."
date: 2026-11-14T12:24:00.347Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/oecd-shortage-teachers-doctors-it-specialists-europe
tags: [oecd, labor-market, europe, healthcare, education, it-specialists, youth-unemployment, skill-shortage]
author: "Darya Fomina"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# OECD: Europe Faces Acute Shortage of Teachers, Doctors, and IT Specialists While Blue-Collar Jobs Are Easily Filled

![Young people stand by a classroom blackboard during a presentation in a German school](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/14/oesr-deficit-uchiteley-medikov-it-speczialistov-v-evrope/oesr-deficit-uchiteley-medikov-it-speczialistov-v-evrope-1.webp)

## Key Points

- According to the OECD, teachers, healthcare workers, and IT specialists rank among the top five hardest-to-fill professions in most European countries
- General laborers, kitchen assistants, and manufacturing assemblers, by contrast, are the easiest to hire
- Healthcare workers are hard to find in 23 out of 27 analyzed countries, and teachers in 21
- The unemployment gap between recent graduates and the rest of the working-age population has widened, with the ECB noting deteriorating youth prospects in the euro area since 2023
- EFN and CPME point to burnout, violence, and low pay as key drivers of healthcare staff attrition

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has published a comprehensive report titled "OECD Skills Shortage Map," covering 27 European countries including Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The key finding of the study: vacancies in education, healthcare, and information technology remain the hardest to fill in Europe, while employers easily find general laborers, kitchen assistants, and elementary occupation workers. For most countries, the analysis used data for 2024, making the picture relevant and reflective of the current labor market state.

### Teachers, Doctors, and IT Specialists Top the Shortage List

According to the OECD index, which compares occupations within each country and shows how difficult it is to fill vacancies compared to other fields in the same state, the teaching profession is recognized on average across EU countries covered by the report as the hardest to fill. It is followed by doctors and other healthcare professionals, as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists. Associate health professionals — medical technicians and part of mid-level nursing staff — along with business and administration professionals, complete the top five. Teachers rank among the top five hardest-to-fill professions in 13 countries, while healthcare workers and IT specialists each appear in 12 countries. Looking beyond the top five, the picture is even more alarming: healthcare workers are hard to find in 23 of the 27 analyzed countries, associate health professionals in 21, healthcare assistants also in 21, and teachers in 21 countries.

### At the Other End: Blue-Collar Professions

In contrast to the shortage of skilled personnel, the other pole of the OECD index features professions that employers fill with minimal difficulty. General laborers rank among the five easiest-to-fill vacancies in 14 countries, kitchen assistants in 12, general office clerks in 11, elementary occupation workers in 10, and manufacturing assemblers in 8. However, the situation varies by country: Spain, according to OECD data, faces an abnormally large shortage specifically of kitchen assistants, setting it apart from the broader European trend. Positive index values indicate a relative shortage, negative values a relative surplus, while the figures do not account for the absolute number of open vacancies or missing workers.

### The Youth Unemployment Paradox

Staffing problems in skilled sectors persist against a backdrop of a paradox: young people are finding it increasingly difficult to find a job. The OECD found that the unemployment rate gap between recent graduates and the rest of the working-age population has widened in the analyzed countries. The European Central Bank (ECB) has also noted a deterioration in employment prospects for youth in the euro area since 2023. Thus, the labor market exhibits structural misalignment: demand for skilled personnel in education, medicine, and IT goes unmet, while young professionals face growing barriers to entering the labor market.

### Healthcare Losing Staff Due to Burnout and Violence

The causes of the acute shortage of medical personnel go beyond a simple lack of graduates. Paul De Raeve and Manuel Ballotta from the European Federation of Nurses Associations (EFN) noted in an interview with Euronews Business that EU and European healthcare systems are failing to retain and attract frontline nurses. High patient-to-nurse ratios, unsafe working conditions, widespread mental health issues, low pay, limited career prospects, insufficient professional recognition, and frequent incidents of harassment and violence make the profession less attractive. Dr. Ole Johan Bakke, President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), confirmed the worsening working conditions: doctors across Europe are increasingly expected to compensate for systemic staff shortages through excessive working hours and heavier workloads, while violence against healthcare workers further exacerbates the problem and leads to burnout.

### Methodology and Index Limitations

It is important to keep in mind that the OECD index is relative: it shows how difficult it is to fill vacancies in a specific profession compared to other professions in the same country, rather than the absolute magnitude of the shortage. For most countries, 2024 data was used. In six countries — Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Turkey — the labor market displays a different shortage structure that does not fit the overall European picture, emphasizing the need to account for national peculiarities when interpreting the report's results.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [В Европе не хватает учителей, медиков и ИТ-специалистов, а рабочие вакансии заполняются легче](https://ru.euronews.com/2026/11/14/which-jobs-are-the-hardest-and-easiest-to-fill-in-europe-and-why) - The primary source contains the full text of the OECD report with figures for 27 countries, quotes from EFN and CPME, and a description of the index methodology. All facts in the article have been verified against the source text.

## FAQ

### Which professions does the OECD consider the hardest to fill in Europe?

On average across EU countries covered in the report, teaching is recognized as the hardest-to-fill profession, followed by doctors and healthcare professionals, ICT specialists, health associate professionals, and business and administration professionals.

### Which vacancies, according to the OECD, are filled the easiest?

The easiest positions to hire for are general laborers (14 countries), kitchen assistants (12 countries), office clerks (11 countries), elementary occupation workers (10 countries), and manufacturing assemblers (8 countries).

### What does the OECD index show and what are its limitations?

The index compares occupations within each country: positive values mean a relative shortage, negative values a relative surplus. It does not account for the absolute number of open vacancies or missing workers. Data for most countries is from 2024.

### Why is there a shortage of medical staff in Europe?

According to representatives from EFN and CPME, reasons include high patient-to-nurse ratios, unsafe working conditions, mental health issues, low pay, limited career prospects, violence, and burnout.