Where the jobs are in European countries

Each region publishes its own list of shortage occupations (knelpuntberoepen / métiers en pénurie):

• Flanders – VDAB’s 10 most persistent shortage occupations in 2026: accountant, construction cost estimator, industrial electromechanic, machining set-up operator, horticulture worker, technician for construction, agricultural and lifting machines, industrial maintenance manager, nurse, truck driver and site manager.
• Wallonia – Le Forem lists 144 shortage occupations for 2026. Construction leads with 38, followed by industrial technology and health and social care (19 each). The hardest jobs to fill are home care aide, pharmacist and roofer; the list also includes bus drivers, nurses, masons and security guards.
• Brussels – Actiris has an overview of occupations that are recruiting (in French).

For the country as a whole, EURES names healthcare, education, construction and IT as shortage sectors, with strong demand for science and engineering technicians and building trades workers. In Flanders, nurses and other healthcare professionals and carers are especially hard to find.

For graduates, the best chances are in technical and engineering jobs, nursing, IT and accounting – and in Brussels it helps a lot to speak both French and Dutch.