Olan McEvoy
Research expert covering the European Union for society, economy, and politics.
Get in touch with us nowAs of 2023, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European Union were - on average - able to hire appropriately skilled employees for open positions in less than three months, according to 38.9 percent of SMEs surveyed. A slightly smaller share of respondents - 37.9 percent - reported the average length of a hiring process taking between three and twelve months, while more than 10 percent said the process took longer than a year. Skills and labor shortages in Europe have been a persistent challenge for businesses during the 2020s, as the unemployment rate in the EU is at a record low, with the job vacancy rate rising to a record high during 2022, before declining slightly in 2023.
You only have access to basic statistics.
This statistic is not included in your account.
Business Solutions including all features.
Overview of the European labor market
Labor demand
Labor shortages
Skills shortages
Education and training