The number of foreigners entering the European labor market is increasing, a sign of the beginning of the period when the EU economy depends on migrant workers. The employer-employee relationship started to change around 2015. The vacancies are increasing, and human resources are increasingly rare. The owner needs workers, the job is waiting for people. From Western Europe, France, Germany, Italy, to Eastern Europe, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic, the number of vacancies that need to be filled every year is higher than the previous year, only a slight decrease during the pandemic year and then again. skyrocketed in almost every industry. There is a shortage of computer engineers, nurses or housekeepers, to help with restaurant kitchens, waitresses, or construction workers… all of them are lacking.
Mr. Sergio Estela - Confederation of Industry, Construction and Agriculture of Spain said: "We need people with professions such as electricians, bricklayers, plumbers. Need more workers, the sooner the better. Contact The European Union has set up a fund to support businesses in recruiting workers, totaling 700,000 jobs. ".
In less than 10 years, the number of jobs needed has doubled. Unemployment is particularly low in Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Poland, at less than 3%. Overall, the 28 member states of the European Union is 6.1%, the lowest rate ever.
That's a far cry from 2013, the peak of the labor market crisis. At that time, 12% of Europeans of working age were unemployed. Now, businesses have to find ways to retain existing people and recruit new ones, the most common way is still to increase wages. The rate of wage growth has been so much and so fast that the European Central Bank has to warn, high wages will exacerbate inflation.
Mr. Geoffroy Roux de Bézieux - President of the French Employers' Union: "The labor market is reversing, the relationship is in favor of workers. At this rate, from now to 20 years from now, the shortage will only get worse. Last year, Italy had a labor shortage of 400,000 workers.
Some European countries choose to relax the rules, in order to attract workers outside the European Union. The new Immigration Law that the German government passed at the end of last year allows foreigners with more than 2 years of professional experience to settle in Germany, computer engineers do not even need to know German. The German government also encourages foreigners to come to Germany to study and then stay and work. A policy that the Netherlands and the Nordic countries are also aiming for, to revitalize the labor market that is thirsty for workers.
What is the long-term solution to this situation?
Many European countries have relaxed their laws, making it easier for people from outside the European Union to immigrate to work. European countries invest heavily in vocational training and support recruitment costs, but of course only improve the quality, not the quantity. Businesses, in addition to increasing wages and benefits, actively reduce working hours, 4-day workweeks, or allow working from home.
Labor scarcity is also promoting automation in all stages that can be entrusted to robots, automation combined with artificial intelligence is being directed by many businesses to reduce dependence on workers.
One of the solutions is to get workers from other countries. There are many countries that are having quality worker resources and workers are willing to work abroad. Including Vietnam, a country with an abundant and quality labor force, people are always considered to be the hardest working people in the world. With the shortage of the worker market in many industries in Europe, exporting workers from other countries to work is the best solution. Vietnam Manpower is proud to have provided a large and quality workforce to large companies in many countries in many fields.