The 2025 list (reference year 2024) of occupations in high shortage has just been published in the Official Journal.
This list highlights occupations (including their sub-categories) that are in high demand among recruiters but have very few available candidates registered with ADEM. This year, 22 occupations have been identified, compared to 24 in the previous year. Employers seeking skilled workers in these fields can benefit from simplified and expedited procedures for hiring third-country nationals.
How the List is Updated
As required by law, the list is reviewed annually in the first quarter, based on objective data from the previous year. Key factors include:
- The number of job vacancies reported to ADEM
- The number of registered job seekers in the same occupation
- The number of vacancies for which no suitable candidate could be matched
Changes from the Previous Year
Several new occupations have been added, particularly in the mechanics sector:
- Industrial Mechanical Maintenance (I1310)
- Aircraft Maintenance (I1602)
- Bodywork Repair (I1606)
Additionally, Management Consultants (M1402) and Railway Network Traffic Agents (N4401) have been included.
At the same time, some occupations have been removed:
- Back and Middle Office Financial Market Management (C1302)
- Roofing Installation and Restoration (F1610)
- Production Management and Engineering (H2502)
- Installation and Maintenance of Industrial and Operational Equipment (I1304)
- Psychology (K1104)
- Human Resources Development (M1502)
- IT Systems Consulting and Project Management (M1806)
Although these professions remain in demand, the imbalance between available candidates and vacancies in 2024 no longer meets the criteria for the "high shortage" category.
Benefits for Employers
To ensure the high-shortage occupation list accurately reflects labor market needs, it is essential for employers to report all job vacancies to ADEM. This enables them to take advantage of various benefits when recruiting qualified professionals from third countries.
The application for a foreign labor certificate can be submitted by the employer either at the time of declaring a job vacancy to ADEM or later, during the validity period of the job listing. If the position falls under a high-shortage occupation, the certificate is issued within five working days of receipt confirmation.
Workforce Planning & Training
Beyond facilitating recruitment, the high-shortage occupation list helps ADEM assess the skills and qualifications most needed by employers. It also serves as a guide for designing targeted training programs for job seekers in these fields.
This list identifies the jobs (along with their sub-categories) that are in high demand by recruiters but have very few available candidates registered with ADEM. There are now 22 occupations on the list, compared to 24 last year. Employers seeking qualified workers in these 22 listed occupations can benefit from simplified and accelerated procedures for hiring third-country nationals.
As stipulated by law, the list is updated in the first quarter based on objective data from the previous year: the number of job vacancies declared to ADEM, the number of registered job seekers for the same occupation, and the number of vacancies for which no suitable candidate matching the required profile could be identified.
Compared to the previous year’s list, new occupations have been added, particularly in the field of mechanics – Industrial Mechanical Maintenance (I1310), Aircraft Maintenance (I1602), and Bodywork Repair (I1606) – as well as Management Consultants (M1402) and Railway Network Traffic Agents (N4401). On the other hand, several occupations have been removed from the list: Back and Middle Office Financial Market Management (C1302), Roofing Installation and Restoration (F1610), Production Management and Engineering (H2502), Installation and Maintenance of Industrial and Operational Equipment (I1304), Psychology (K1104), Human Resources Development (M1502), and IT Systems Consulting and Project Management (M1806). Although these professions remain under pressure, the imbalance between candidates and vacancies in 2024 no longer meets the criteria for the “high shortage” category.
To ensure that the list of occupations in high shortage accurately reflects the reality of the job market, it is crucial for employers to declare all their job vacancies to ADEM. Numerous advantages are available to support them in recruiting qualified profiles from third countries.
The application for the "foreign labor" certificate can be submitted directly by the employer when declaring a job vacancy to ADEM or later, at any time during the validity period of the job offer. If the declared position corresponds to an occupation on the high-shortage list, the certificate is issued within five working days of the acknowledgment of receipt.
The high-shortage occupation list is also used by ADEM to better analyze the qualifications and skills that employers need and to organize targeted training programs for job seekers in the identified fields.