Unfortunately, 2022 ended with the constant war in Ukraine and the highest inflation in years. The effects of these events affect people all over Europe. The topic of working abroad is being discussed more and more often. Inflation in Europe and the departure to work abroad – what are the predictions for 2023?
Going to work abroad due to inflation – europa.jobs data
- At the beginning of 2022, a several-fold increase in users of our portal was observed. The first wave of growth occurred in March, at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The following months also saw a record number of users compared to last year.
- In October, there was a 148% increase of the new users to the site. It can be concluded that inflation has influenced the decision of people who have not used job portals before.
- There has been an increased number of job offers published between July and October 2022
- Almost 200% increase in the number of applications in the last 3 months compared to the same period last year
- Work on other language versions (mainly Spanish, English, Croatian and Ukrainian)
- The largest number of job offers were published from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Scandinavian countries (i.e. where the inflation rate is lower)
The problem of increasing traffic in other languages proves that inflation is a global problem. Both the inhabitants of Poland, as well as Spain and Croatia are in the process of looking for a better job, which guarantees decent earnings and conditions. We assume that in the coming months the number of economic migrants will increase again.
And what are the experts’ predictions?
Among the many opinions of experts in the EU economy, one main idea can be distinguished – 2023 will be the peak of inflation in Europe. Central European economies (ie Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary) will be the most affected. Economic growth will also slow down in Germany and Sweden (leaders of the European economy).
According to experts, the situation on the European economic market will improve only in 2024.
Additionally, the market will struggle with some sort of stagnation when it comes to the unemployment rate. Over the next few years, the unemployment rate will most likely stay the same or increase slightly. This is mainly due to the increase in prices, which causes an increase in the demand for salary increases, which, unfortunately, with the current inflation, not every employer can afford.
We are talking here on a pan-European scale.
Inflation in Europe and going to work abroad – what is the situation in each country?
Germany
As I mentioned at the beginning, Germany remains in the top of the most popular countries for applications submitted on the europa.jobs portal. However, this does not change the fact that Germany is also struggling with inflation. At the same time, demand for temporary workers in Germany is expected to remain unchanged.
France
The situation in France is similar to that in Germany. The level of inflation is very high, but despite this, employers are struggling with the problem of a lack of qualified personnel. The demand for employees remains at a high level.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is breaking its own records when it comes to percentage inflation. Recent months have seen the biggest increases in food prices and the highest level of inflation in the last 30-40 years. The situation will change in the next 2 years, while the demand for employees (especially in the spring-summer period) will remain at a high level.
Scandinavian countries: Norway, Sweden and Denmark
These are countries with the most stable economies also on a global scale. All Scandinavian countries are in the TOP-5 of the best and happiest countries. Has inflation contributed to changes in Norway, Sweden and Denmark?
Even stable economies struggle with near-high inflation. Admittedly, the level of inflation in the Scandinavian countries is several times lower compared to, for example, Poland. Despite this, the % increase in food prices on average is about 13% compared to last year (in Poland this % is 15.6).
Ireland
Inflation in Ireland has led to a decline in industrial production (approx. 30% compared to 2021). The existing situation may lead to an increase in the % of unemployment, and thus a decrease in the demand for temporary workers.
Belgium
Belgium is also no exception in this case. Inflation in this country is at a record high. Forecasts for 2023 do not predict a decline in demand for foreign workers.
Great Britain
The first wave of the crisis in the UK falls on Brexit. A lot of people decided to leave the country with the exit of England from the EU. The next wave of the crisis is taking place right now.
In the UK, the number of people employed fell by almost 52,000 between July and September, contributing to an increase in the unemployment rate. Expert forecasts for 2023 do not look promising: continued increase in % unemployment, price increases, lack of jobs in the catering/hotel industry.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Italy, Spain, Croatia
Unfortunately, in the case of the above-mentioned countries, inflation will contribute to a large migration wave at the turn of 2022-2024. Less stable economies (where, for example, a large part of the budget depends on the tourist services sector, which has fallen sharply during inflation) will suffer the most. Residents of these countries have already started (according to the above-mentioned europa.jobs data) to look for employment abroad.
Inflation in Europe and going abroad to work – a summary
| Country | Demand for employees and inflation |
| Poland | interest in working abroad to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands |
| Germany | stable demand for temporary workers |
| France | increase in the demand for employees |
| Netherlands | constant demand for temporary workers |
| Belgium | the situation regarding the employment of temporary workers remains unchanged |
| Ireland | the largest decline in industrial production in years, increase in the unemployment rate |
| UK | record-breaking decrease in the number of employees, increasing % of unemployment, lack of jobs in the hotel/gastronomy industry |
| Scandinavian countries | high demand for temporary workers |
| Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Italy, Spain, Croatia | expected migration phase to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands |
Considering the forecasts of experts, in 2023 we will still be dealing with inflation in Europe, but slightly weakened. It is impossible to avoid further price increases, which is why we can already consider finding a job abroad. There is still a high demand for temporary workers on the labor market.
