What are the most difficult job vacancies to fill in Spain?
The Adecco Group Institute has published the first Labor Market Needs Report, based on its own data and a survey of more than 27,000 companies, addressing some of the mismatches that currently hinder job creation. The report provides information on the most difficult vacancies to fill by sector and autonomous community and considers it relevant (especially in a country like Spain with an unemployment rate of 13.3% vs. 6.8% average in the Eurozone) to search for solutions to maximize employment and ensure the supply of professionals that the labor market demands at any given time.
Main points of the report:
- According to Eurostat data (Job Vacancy Statistics), Spain is the country with the lowest percentage of vacant jobs (0.7%) compared to the Eurozone (3.1%). This figure, which represents around 134,000 jobs according to official data for the first quarter of 2022, could be positive, if it were not for the fact that the unemployment rate in Spain doubles the Eurozone’s (one out of every five unemployed people in the UE resides in Spain).
- Thousands of vacancies in various sectors: The largest supply of jobs at the national level is in the economic activity of "Transport and storage".
- The most difficult profiles to fill at the national level are: "Mechanics and machinery adjusters" and workers specialized in electricity and electro-technology. In both cases:
- The most demanded skills are "teamwork" and “resolution”.
- and the most required level of training for both is "Higher Vocational Training".
- Bachelor's and master’s degrees are also important for profiles related to the physical sciences, chemistry, maths and engineering, as well as to information technology and health (nursing, other biomedical research professionals, etc.).
- Low salaries are not the only reason behind unfilled vacancies: there are also no candidates for industrial or construction jobs with salaries around 40,000 euros/year.
- The report is in favour of attracting talent from outside our country. It is desirable to bring in non-EU professionals in any of its options: regularizing and qualifying those who already reside de facto in Spain, facilitating recruitment in origin, and relaxing the criteria for inclusion in the catalogue of occupations that are difficult to fill.
Filter results
According to IE University’s Center for the Governance of Change, deeper and more integrated financial markets would strengthen the euro’s global role. This requires, among other elements, resilient and interoperable payment systems and completing the banking union.
Partnerships between banks and private credit: The winners will be those that combine bank underwriting discipline, distribution, and customer access with private capital’s appetite for long-dated, illiquid risk, according to Oliver Wyman.
Lucrezia Reichlin (CEPR): A CBDC is not a prerequisite for monetary sovereignty. Confusing money with payments can risk misdiagnosing the problem and misaligning economic policy efforts.
According to the World Economic Forum´s Global Risk Report 2026, geoeconomic confrontation, mis- and disinformation and societal polarization make up the top three short-term risks, while environmental risks dominate in the long term.
According to the World Economic Forum, over the last few years AI has moved from experimentation to workflow integration, promising systemic gains in productivity while also raising critical questions around economic inclusion, values, trust and resilience.
According to AFME, a clearer, more coherent, and proportionate regulatory environment, without unnecessary layers and focuses on growth and competitiveness, is keyl to increase investor confidence, unlock private capital and deepen European capital markets
According to the Center for the Governance of Change at IE University, Europeans support technological progress if it reinforces security, inclusion, and social welfare; but resist it when change feels imposed, opaque, or misaligned with their values.
According to a recent report released by CEPS, European financial regulators should adopt competitiveness as a formal secondary objective, following the precedent established by the UK's Financial Services and Markets Act 2023.
According to the OECD. SMEs and start-ups that grow rapidly contribute significantly to job creation, economic growth and competitiveness. Indeed, SMEs that grow by one-third over a three-year period, contribute about as much to job creation as large firms.
According to @McKinsey, banks must prepare for a new growth curve. Strategic precision —the ability to combine technology, capital discipline, and deep customer insight— will distinguish the leaders from the laggards.
According to Kristalina Georgeva IMF Managing Director, lifting growth requires three things: one, regulatory housecleaning to unleash private enterprise; two, deeper regional integration; and three, preparedness to harness AI.
According to The European House – Ambrosetti, the European Union has an opportunity to boost competitiveness and growth by simplifying regulatory and supervisory frameworks, particularly in the areas of sustainability and the financial sector.