Europe’s most wanted jobs: Which are the internet’s most sought after?

Are you currently unemployed and searching for a job? Perhaps you’re considering a career change, or maybe you’re a at the start of your working life and still deciding which profession to pursue? Looking at which occupations are most sought after on the web might be helpful for you. 

Using data from Eurostat, taken from internet job portals, Euronews Business examines which occupations are most sought after and what skills are most in demand in online job adverted across the EU in 2023.

This is a newly released experimental statistic by Eurostat, featuring two main indicators. The first is the number of online job ads, and the second is the online job advertisement rate (OJAR), which also accounts for the number of employees working in these fields.

Almost one in 10 adverts seeks ICT specialists

Looking at the number of online job advertisements, information and communication technology (ICT) specialists were by far the most in demand. Companies and organisations posted 871,000 ads seeking ICT specialists, accounting for 9% of all online job advertisements.

Software and applications developers and analysts ranked second, with 515,000 ads, representing 5.3% of the total.

Engineering professionals followed in third place with 412,000 ads, representing 4.3%. Close behind were manufacturing workers, with 385,000 ads, accounting for 4%.

Other professions rounding out the top 10 most advertised occupations included:

• Physical and engineering science technicians, with 351,000 ads (3.6%)

• Shop salespersons, with 312,000 ads (3.2%)

• Transport and storage laborers, with 308,000 ads (3.2%)

• Sales, marketing, and development managers, with 280,000 ads (2.9%)

• Other clerical support workers, with 262,000 ads (2.7%)

• Financial and mathematical associate professionals, with 246,000 ads (2.5%)

136,000 adverts for heavy truck and bus drivers

Looking at specific occupations, 136,000 job ads (1.4%) were posted for heavy truck and bus drivers. Car, van, and motorcycle drivers were also in demand, with 61,000 job ads, accounting for 0.6%.

Nearly 100,000 job ads were posted separately for cooks and food preparation assistants. Additionally, food and related products machine operators were sought in around 55,000 ads. Together, these three occupations accounted for 2.6% of total job advertisements.

Healthcare occupations also featured prominently, with 96,000 job ads for doctors, 115,000 for personal care workers in health services, 71,000 for other health professionals, and 60,000 for other health associate professionals. Combined, these accounted for 3.5% of the total online job ads.

Among professionals in the EU, ICT professionals had the highest share, accounting for 27.1% of online job advertisements. They were closely followed by office professionals at 25.5% and researchers and engineers at 23.4%.

Teaching professionals had the lowest share, making up just 5.8% of the total. Health professionals were also notable, representing nearly one in 10 (9.9%) of online job ads.

Workers vs professionals

Professionals (23.4%) and associate professionals (18.9%) dominated the broad occupations, accounting for 42.3% of online job ads. The share of managers was 7.8%.

In 2023, service and sales workers accounted for 12% of online job advertisements, followed by elementary workers at 11.3%, and clerical positions at 10.2%.

Top skills in demand: Willingness to learn and teamwork

“Demonstrating a willingness to learn” emerged as the most requested skill, appearing in 26.2% of online job advertisements for transversal skills and competences across the EU. 

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Teamwork also ranked highly, with “collaborating in teams and networks” coming in second at 21.4%.

Employers also value proactive employees, as “taking a proactive approach” accounted for 12.4% of the top skills listed. In contrast, “thinking creatively and innovatively” was in lower demand, making up only 4% of the requested skills.

Eurostat’s experimental statistics: OJAR

Eurostat introduced the online job advertisement rate (OJAR) as part of its experimental statistics. Unlike simply counting the number of online job ads, this indicator also considers the number of employees in each occupation. It provides insights into “where recruiters might face potential challenges to recruit staff”. 

Sales, marketing, and development managers had the highest OJAR in the EU, at 26.6%. They were followed by manufacturing workers (22.4%) and other sales workers (17.6%). Retail and wholesale trade managers (16.8%) and other clerical support workers (16.7%) rounded out the top five occupations.

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Although public sector roles, such as healthcare workers and teachers, may also face recruitment challenges, they did not rank among the most sought-after occupations online. According to Eurostat: “this could be attributed to such positions often not being advertised on the web”.

Job ads are not vacancies

Eurostat highlights that job advertisements are not the same as job vacancies. Some vacancies may not be advertised online, while some employers post job ads without intending to fill the positions immediately, often to explore potential opportunities.  A single job advertisement can also represent multiple vacancies.