Cyprus recorded shortages in 63 professions and surpluses in 11 in 2024, according to a European EURES report published on Monday, with the most significant gaps found in the healthcare and technology sectors.
Most severe shortages
The report found the most severe shortages in Cyprus among nurses, midwives, ICT sales professionals, systems analysts, software and applications developers, web and multimedia developers, medical imaging equipment technicians, waiters and bus drivers.
Moderate shortages
Moderate shortages were recorded in restaurant managers, retail and wholesale trade managers, accountants, electricians, electronics and mechanical technicians, chefs, shop sales assistants, cashiers, builders, air conditioning and refrigeration technicians, welders, heavy vehicle drivers, cleaners, and workers in agriculture, livestock farming, fishing and construction.
Low-severity shortages
Low-severity shortages were found in health and elderly care service managers, engineers of various specialisations, general and specialist doctors, hotel reception staff, cooks, health assistants, carpenters, plumbers, electrical technicians, bakers and kitchen assistants.
Imbalances and an ageing population
At European level, the report found that employers in countries such as Bulgaria, Italy and the Netherlands face difficulties filling a wide range of positions, from doctors to welders, with 57% of shortages classed as moderate or high severity. By contrast, countries such as Latvia, Austria and Finland more often record labour surpluses, mainly in administrative and creative professions.
The report attributed the persistence of these imbalances to factors including limited awareness among workers of employment opportunities abroad, difficulties in the recognition of professional qualifications between member states, language barriers and pay differences.
It singled out the healthcare and care sectors as recording some of the largest staff shortages in Europe, driven by an ageing population and rising demand for healthcare services. The green transition is also increasing demand for professions such as electricians, plumbers and roofers, the report found.
The AI factor
Separate research carried out ahead of this year’s summer World Economic Forum, held in the Chinese city of Dalian from June 23-25, found that artificial intelligence is reshaping not only the skills employers value but also workers’ career paths at every stage, according to related studies on AI’s global impact on jobs.
The same research found that AI has a more visible effect on younger workers and those entering the labour market. Globally, more than one in three young workers are in jobs with medium to high exposure to tasks being transformed by artificial intelligence, the research found.