Thinking about working in another European country? For each of 32 countries – all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom – you will find the key labour market figures, where the jobs are, how to apply, pay and working conditions, student jobs and what to do in your first weeks. General advice on job search, your CV and your rights: How to find a job abroad – 10 practical guides »
No statutory minimum wage, but collective agreements that set minimum pay for almost every job – usually paid 14 times a year. Austria has 64 nationwide shortage occupations, from nurses and doctors to engineers, IT specialists, electricians and cooks. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply in German and what to do in your first weeks.
Belgium has three regional job markets, each with its own employment service and language: Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia, both in Brussels – and German in the east. The minimum wage is €2,234 a month (July 2026), students can work 650 hours a year at reduced contributions, and Wallonia lists 144 shortage occupations for 2026.
Bulgaria has used the euro since 1 January 2026, its minimum wage is €620 a month and income tax is a flat 10%. Unemployment fell to 3.5% in 2025, and there are shortages of IT specialists, engineers, nurses, teachers and skilled tradespeople. Find out where to look for a job and what to do in your first weeks.
A statutory minimum wage of €1,050 gross a month (2026), unemployment down from 6.8% in 2022 to 4.9% in 2025 and a separate public portal for seasonal jobs in tourism. Find out where to look for a job in Croatia, how to apply in Croatian and what to do in your first weeks.
Unemployment in Cyprus fell to 4.4% in 2025, and the minimum wage is €979 a month when you start, rising to €1,088 after six months with the same employer. Employers are short of ICT professionals and construction workers, and tourism hires seasonal staff, usually from April to November. Find out how to apply, how to register and what to do in your first weeks.
The Czech Republic had the lowest unemployment rate in the EU in 2025 – 2.8% – and a minimum wage of CZK 22,400 a month (2026). Employers look for engineers, builders, programmers, health professionals and machine operators, but most of them expect you to speak Czech. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and what to arrange in your first weeks.
No statutory minimum wage – pay is set in collective agreements – a normal working week of around 37 hours and at least five weeks of paid holiday. Most positions do not require Danish. Find out which sectors are short of staff, where to look for a job and how to get your EU residence document, CPR number and tax card.
Estonia has a statutory minimum wage of €946 a month (from 1 April 2026) and a flat 22% income tax – in 2026 the first €700 of your monthly income is tax-free. 81.7% of people aged 20–64 have a job, more than the EU average. Find out where the jobs are, how to apply and what to do in your first weeks.
No statutory minimum wage – minimum pay is set in collective agreements, many of them generally binding for a whole sector. Unemployment is high, but health and social services are short of staff, from nurses and practical nurses to doctors. Find out where to look, how to apply and how to get your personal identity code, tax card and Kela card.
France has a 35-hour legal working week, five weeks of paid leave and a minimum wage (SMIC) of €1,867.02 gross a month since 1 June 2026. Employers find it hardest to recruit in IT, health and care, construction, industry and transport. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply in French and what to do in your first weeks.
Minimum wage of €13.90 an hour in 2026 (€14.60 from January 2027), unemployment of 3.8% – well below the EU average – and 157 occupations short of skilled workers, from nursing and construction to cooks and drivers. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply in German and what to do in your first weeks.
Greece’s minimum wage rose to €920 a month on 1 April 2026, and pay normally comes 14 times a year. Unemployment has dropped from 12.5% in 2022 to 8.9% in 2025, and youth unemployment from 31.4% to 19.1%. Tourism creates many seasonal jobs, especially in summer. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and what to do in your first weeks.
Hungary’s minimum wage is HUF 322,800 a month (2026), and employees under 25 pay no personal income tax. Unemployment was 4.4% in 2025 – below the EU average – and 81.1% of people aged 20–64 have a job. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply in Hungarian and what to arrange in your first weeks.
No statutory minimum wage – but pay and terms may never be lower than in the collective agreements, and you get at least 24 working days of holiday a year. 85.8% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%) and unemployment is 4.5%. Find out where to look, how to register and get your ID number (kennitala), and how tax works.
The national minimum wage is €14.15 an hour since 1 January 2026, the official languages are Irish and English, and the official shortage lists point to ICT, engineering, science and health professionals. Find out where to look for a job, how to get your PPS number and what changes if you come from outside the EU.
Italy has no statutory minimum wage – pay is set in national collective agreements (CCNL), which often add a 13th and 14th monthly salary. Employers say they struggle to find almost half of the staff they look for – most of all skilled workers and technicians – while tourism and trade hire the most. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and what to do in your first weeks.
Latvia’s statutory minimum wage is €780 a month in 2026, and overtime is paid with a bonus of at least 100%. 78.2% of people aged 20–64 have a job, more than the EU average. Employers look especially for ICT specialists, engineers, construction and metal trades workers and health professionals – and for most jobs you need Latvian.
More jobs than inhabitants: 57% of jobs are held by cross-border commuters, and only 416 people were registered unemployed in August 2026. But as an EEA citizen you need a permit for every job, and residence permits are limited and partly drawn by lottery. Find out where to look for work, what the rules are and how commuting works.
Lithuania’s minimum wage is €1,153 a month (€7.05 an hour) in 2026, and overtime is paid at least 1.5 times your normal rate. 80% of people aged 20–64 have a job, more than the EU average. The government lists shortage professions in IT, engineering and electronics. Find out how to apply and what to do in your first weeks.
Luxembourg has the highest statutory minimum wage in the EU – from 1 June 2026, €2,771.33 a month for unskilled and €3,325.59 for skilled workers. The job market is international and multilingual: you should master at least two languages, including French, German or Luxembourgish. Finance, IT, engineering, healthcare and construction are short of staff.
Malta’s unemployment rate was just 3.1% in 2025 and 83.6% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%). English is an official language and job applications are made in English. The minimum wage for adults is €229.44 a week in 2026. Find out where employers are short of staff, how to register with Identità and what to do in your first weeks.
Unemployment in the Netherlands is low – 3.9% in 2025 (EU: 6.0%) – and 83.4% of people aged 20–64 have a job (EU: 76.1%). The minimum wage is €14.99 an hour from 1 July 2026 for workers aged 21+, with lower youth rates. Register with your municipality within 5 days to get your BSN, and take out Dutch health insurance within 4 months.
No general minimum wage, but legally binding minimum pay in nine sectors – from cleaning and construction to hotels and restaurants – and a written contract for every job. In 2026 Norwegian businesses were short of about 34,000 workers, above all in health care, industry and construction. Find out where to look, how to register and how tax works in your first weeks.
Unemployment in Poland was 3.1% in 2025 – about half the EU average – and the minimum wage is PLN 4,806 gross a month (2026). The official forecast lists 17 shortage occupations, from doctors, nurses and teachers to drivers, welders and electricians. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and what to register in your first weeks.
Portugal’s minimum wage is €920 a month in 2026 – and on top of 12 monthly salaries you get a holiday allowance and a Christmas allowance. 79.6% of people aged 20–64 have a job, above the EU average. Find out where the shortages are, where to look for a job, how to apply (in Portuguese or, if needed, in English) and what to do in your first weeks.
A national minimum wage of RON 4,325 gross a month from 1 July 2026 and shortages of IT specialists, engineers, nurses, builders, drivers and cooks. Find out where to look for a job in Romania, how to apply in Romanian and what to do in your first weeks.
Slovakia uses the euro and has a minimum wage of €915 a month (2026). Most vacancies are in transport, healthcare and warehousing, with ongoing demand in the car and engineering industries. Unemployment fell from 6.1% in 2022 to 5.4% in 2025. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and what to register in your first weeks.
A statutory minimum wage of €1,481.88 gross a month (2026), unemployment well below the EU average and official shortages of doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, cooks and truck drivers. Find out where to look for a job in Slovenia, how to apply in Slovenian and what to do in your first weeks.
Spain’s minimum wage is €1,221 a month in 14 payments (2026), the week is at most 40 hours and you get at least 30 calendar days of paid holiday. Unemployment has fallen from 13.0% in 2022 to 10.5% in 2025, but is still well above the EU average of 6.0%. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply in Spanish and how to get your NIE and registration certificate.
No statutory minimum wage – pay is set in collective agreements or negotiated with your employer – and at least 25 days of paid holiday a year. Employers are short of staff in health care, IT, education and installation and maintenance jobs, more often in northern Sweden. Find out where to look, how to apply and how to get your personal identity number (personnummer).
Free movement for EU/EFTA citizens, unemployment of 4.9% (EU: 6.0%) and a legal maximum of 45–50 working hours a week. There is no national minimum wage, but five cantons have one – in Geneva CHF 24.59 an hour in 2026. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and which permit and registration steps you need.
Since Brexit, EU citizens need a visa to work in the UK unless they have status under the EU Settlement Scheme – Irish citizens are the exception. The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour from April 2026, and a Skilled Worker visa usually requires a salary of at least £41,700. Find out where to look for a job, how to apply and which visa routes are open to you.
Key figures: Eurostat (population on 1 January 2026; unemployment and employment rates 2025; minimum wages July 2026); for the United Kingdom – Office for National Statistics; for Liechtenstein – national statistics. Country information: EURES – Living and working conditions, public employment services and the official government websites listed under each country. Rules, thresholds and amounts can change – check the official sources before you move. Updated: October 2026.
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