Recent data from Eurostat highlight a growing labor challenge across the European Union, particularly in the manufacturing sector. Between 2019 and 2023, job vacancies in manufacturing jumped sharply, from 6.52% before the pandemic to 10.74% in 2023, marking the largest increase among all EU economic sectors. This trend points to a significant staffing deficit in an area critical for industrial output. Overall, the EU labor market also experienced a moderate rise in unmet demand, with vacancies across all sectors increasing from 2.28% to 2.78% over the same period.

In contrast, Bulgaria shows a different picture. While the European trend points to rising vacancies, Bulgaria’s total unfilled positions slightly decreased, from 0.88% to 0.79%. The most notable change occurred in the high-tech segment: unfilled positions for software and application developers and analysts fell by over two percentage points, dropping their share to 2.45% in 2023. Manufacturing in Bulgaria is largely stable, with vacancies even decreasing slightly to 0.63%. Instead, the greatest staffing pressure in the country comes from the sales sector, excluding managerial roles, where unfilled jobs rose to 2.27%.

Across Europe, labor shortages are most acute in roles such as sales and marketing managers, as well as in transport and warehousing. By contrast, the IT sector has seen fewer difficulties in recruitment despite high demand. Analysts note that a declining vacancy rate does not necessarily indicate weak demand. In software development, for example, vacancies have decreased, but total employment continues to grow. Even so, the share of unfilled positions for software specialists at 6.9% remains well above the EU average of 2.4%, showing the sector still faces structural staffing pressure.

Some areas, particularly transport and retail trade, reveal concerning dynamics. In these sectors, vacancies are rising while actual employment is falling, suggesting that workers are leaving or that structural challenges and working conditions are deterring potential candidates. The data signal both immediate staffing gaps and longer-term structural risks in key parts of the EU economy.