Occupational Barometer: Increase in labour shortages has slowed down but health and social services continue to account for top shortage occupations

This autumn’s Occupational Barometer indicates that the increase in labour shortages has levelled off. At the national level, the Occupational Barometer nevertheless identified 56 shortage occupations out of 200 key occupations.

While the number of shortage occupations increased year on year, a slight decrease was shown from spring 2022.

The results are from the autumn 2022 Occupational Barometer published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on 1 November 2022. The results are based on expert assessments which the Employment and Economic Development Offices carried out in September and October 2022 to estimate the situation for the year ahead.

“Employment and unemployment figures react with a delay to changes in the economy. However, the wide-ranging shortage of labour is not showing signs of easing, even if the economy were to take a breather for a few quarters,” says Under-Secretary of State Elina Pylkkänen.

Although the total number of shortage occupations has decreased, the number of occupations with a “severe shortage of labour” has continued to grow. For a shortage to be rated as severe, the Employment and Economic Development Office must consider an occupation to have a wide-spread lack of suitable jobseekers in its region.

The health and social services sector is expected to have a skilled labour shortage of high magnitude in the near future. On the list of top 15 shortage occupations, three out of four are in the health and social services sector. The situation is most difficult in the recruitment of practical nurses, registered nurses, senior specialists in social work, teachers in early childhood education and care, special needs teachers, speech therapists, general practitioners, home care assistants, psychologists and dentists. It has also become more difficult to find restaurant and catering work-ers.

This autumn, 56 occupations were defined as shortage occupations, 17 of which were in health and social services. After these, the occupations in the shortest supply are in the construction sector (12 occupations) and industry (8 occupations). There are also a few occupations suffering from a shortage of recruits in the software, food and beverage service business, cleaning, property maintenance and transport sectors.

Of the 200 occupations included in the Barometer, 29 are surplus occupations. The number of surplus occupations has not changed significantly in recent years. A year earlier, the number of shortage occupations was 30. The COVID-19 pandemic has had limited effects on the surplus of labour. The Barometer identified a labour surplus of high magnitude in creative and cultural occupations.

Just under half of the occupations in the classification of occupations (ISCO 4) are included in the Barometer. The results can be examined by sub-region and occupation on the Occupational Barometer’s website.

Inquiries:
Elina Pylkkänen, Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 474
Mika Tuomaala, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 048 450

Ministry´s epost addresses are in form firstname.familyname(at)gov.fi