Official 2026 shortage lists in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, Canada, Germany and Europe: which jobs are on them, from nurses to software.
Written by the Global Sponsor Hub editorial team · Checked against official sources
Built for moving countries.
Country guides and the specialists who help you settle.
See country guidesNurses and skilled trades are on almost every official shortage list we checked, from Australia and New Zealand to Canada, Germany and across Europe. Engineers do well at degree level everywhere. Software is no longer an automatic yes: Germany's job agency says software development stopped being a bottleneck in 2025, and Canada's 2026 categories list only cybersecurity specialists. Care workers have the narrowest options.
Being on a list doesn't by itself mean you can get a visa. Registration, skills checks and salary rules still apply, so check your own case with a specialist in the Global Sponsor Hub specialist directory.
| Country | List | Edition | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Core Skills Occupation List (456 occupations), used for the Skills in Demand visa's Core Skills stream | Published December 2024, the latest official edition | Department of Home Affairs |
| New Zealand | Green List (Tier 1 straight to residence, Tier 2 work to residence after 24 months), plus the National Occupation List for the Accredited Employer Work Visa | Green List effective 9th March 2026, amended 23rd March 2026 | Immigration New Zealand: Green List; National Occupation List |
| Ireland | Critical Skills Occupations List | Last updated 21st August 2026 | Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment |
| United Kingdom | Temporary Shortage List (52 occupation codes), Appendix Skilled Worker SW 6.1A. It only counts for certificates of sponsorship issued before 31st December 2026 | Immigration Rules as amended by HC 584 (3rd September 2026) | GOV.UK: Appendix Skilled Worker; Temporary Shortage List |
| Canada | Express Entry category-based selection, 2026 categories (healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, education, transport, French and others) | 2026 categories | IRCC: category-based selection |
| Europe | EURES report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025: occupations reported short by more than half of the 28 reporting countries | Published 8th June 2026 | European Labour Authority |
| Germany | (a) EU Blue Card shortage occupations, which use the lower salary of €45,934.20 in 2026 instead of €50,700, with Federal Employment Agency approval. (b) The Federal Employment Agency's bottleneck analysis for 2025: 157 bottleneck occupations | Bottleneck report May 2026, press release 2nd September 2026 | Make it in Germany: EU Blue Card; Federal Employment Agency |
Australia also released its 2026 Occupation Shortage List on 21st October 2026: 27% of the occupations assessed are in shortage, down from 36% in 2023. (Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) That list is a labour market assessment, not a visa list, so the table uses the Core Skills Occupation List.
ON = on the list. PARTLY = some named jobs only. NOT = not on it.
| Job group | Australia | New Zealand | Ireland | UK | Canada | Europe (EURES) | Germany |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software and data | ON: software engineer, developer programmer, software tester, web developer, database administrator, data analyst, data scientist | ON, Tier 1: software engineer, developer and analyst programmer, tester, ICT security, database and systems administrators, at NZ$70.00 an hour or more | ON: IT business analysts, architects and systems designers, programmers and software developers, web developers, other ICT professionals | PARTLY: IT operations technicians, IT user support, database and web content technicians, data analysts | PARTLY: cybersecurity specialists only | NOT in the widespread shortage table | PARTLY: ICT service managers and academic STEM on the Blue Card list; IT specialists still a bottleneck, software development no longer |
| Engineering | ON: civil, electrical and mechanical engineers, plus technicians and draftspersons | ON, Tier 1: chemical, materials, civil, geotechnical, structural and mechanical engineers, plus civil and mechanical technicians | ON: civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and chemical engineers, plus named specialisms | PARTLY: engineering, electrical and building technicians, CAD technicians | ON, STEM: civil, mechanical, electrical, industrial and geological engineers, plus technologists | ON: electrical engineers (16 of 28 countries) | ON: academic STEM on the Blue Card list; electrical engineering a bottleneck |
| Nurses | ON: registered nurses (14 specialisms), nurse practitioner | ON, Tier 1: registered nurses, with Nursing Council registration | ON: registered nurses | NOT | ON, health: registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses | ON: nursing professionals (20 of 28 countries) | ON: academic nursing on the Blue Card list; nursing among the strongest bottlenecks |
| Care workers | NOT (child care workers are on it, aged care workers aren't) | NOT on the Green List. Aged care coordinator recognised for the Accredited Employer Work Visa | NOT on the Critical Skills list | NOT. Care worker codes 6135 and 6136 are on the Immigration Salary List only for people switching inside the UK, until 22nd July 2028 | PARTLY: nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates; social and community service workers | ON: health care assistants (18 of 28 countries); home-based personal care workers (12) | NOT: care assistants are under observation, not a bottleneck |
| Chefs | ON: chef, cook, pastrycook | NOT on the Green List. Five chef levels, from head chef to other chef, recognised for the Accredited Employer Work Visa since 9th March 2026 | NOT on the Critical Skills list | NOT | NOT | ON: cooks (17 of 28 countries), chefs (16) | ON: cooks a bottleneck. Not a Blue Card job |
| Accounting and finance | ON: general, management and taxation accountants, auditors, finance manager | NOT on the Green List. Accounting practice manager recognised for the Accredited Employer Work Visa | PARTLY: chartered and certified accountants and tax experts in named specialisms; actuaries, economists and statisticians in big data analytics | PARTLY: financial and accounting technicians, book-keepers and payroll, credit controllers, insurance underwriters | PARTLY: insurance agents and brokers only | NOT in the widespread shortage table | PARTLY: expert level in tax advisory, auditing and bookkeeping. Not on the Blue Card list |
| Trades | ON: electricians, plumbers, carpenter and joiner, welders, fitter-welder, automotive electrician | ON, Tier 2: electrician, plumber, gasfitter, drainlayer, welders, fitter-welder, automotive electrician, diesel mechanic | NOT (only BIM technicians) | PARTLY, time-limited: electricians, welders, pipe fitters, plumbers, vehicle technicians and more, only for certificates issued by 30th December 2026 | ON, trades: electricians, plumbers, gas fitters, carpenters, welders, bricklayers, HVAC mechanics, roofers and more (25 occupations) | ON: welders (22 of 28), building electricians (21), plumbers (20), carpenters (16), roofers (15) | ON: building electrics, plumbing and heating, vehicle technology and metal construction. Not Blue Card jobs |
Nurses are on every list we checked except the UK's Temporary Shortage List, which isn't built for degree-level jobs. In Europe, 20 of the 28 countries reporting to EURES said nursing professionals were short. You'll need registration with the nursing regulator in the country you move to, such as the Nursing Council in New Zealand, and in Germany nurses also need German at B2 level for their licence to practise. (Make it in Germany: nursing)
Trades are wanted almost everywhere. Welders, building electricians and plumbers top Europe's widespread shortages, and they're on Australia's, New Zealand's, Canada's and Germany's lists too. In New Zealand they sit on Tier 2 of the Green List, which leads to residence after 24 months of work. In the UK, trades can only use the Temporary Shortage List for certificates of sponsorship issued by 30th December 2026, and nothing has been confirmed for after that. Ireland's Critical Skills list doesn't include them.
Software is no longer an automatic yes.
If you work in software, the job offer and the salary matter more than the list. It's worth filtering for roles that say they offer sponsorship.
Degree-level engineers are on every list, from Canada's STEM draws to Ireland's Critical Skills list and Germany's Blue Card shortage occupations. Electrical engineers are short in 16 of the 28 European countries reporting to EURES. In the UK, it's engineering technicians, not graduate engineers, who are on the Temporary Shortage List.
Cooks are short in 17 of the 28 European countries reporting, and chefs in 16. Australia lists chefs, cooks and pastrycooks, and Germany's job agency rates cooks as a bottleneck, though it isn't a Blue Card job. New Zealand doesn't put chefs on the Green List, but since 9th March 2026 it recognises five chef levels, from head chef to other chef, for its Accredited Employer Work Visa. The UK and Canada lists don't include chefs.
Care workers have the narrowest options. Health care assistants are short in 18 of the 28 European countries reporting, but care workers aren't on the UK, Australian, Irish or New Zealand skilled lists. In the UK, care worker roles are open only to people already in the UK who are switching, until 22nd July 2028, because overseas recruitment closed on 22nd July 2025. More on that in can you still get a UK care job with visa sponsorship?
Accounting is patchy. Australia lists accountants and auditors in full. Ireland lists named specialisms, the UK lists technician and bookkeeping roles, Germany shows bottlenecks at expert level in tax advisory, auditing and bookkeeping, and Canada lists only insurance agents and brokers.
For the routes in each country, see our country guides for Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, Canada and Germany. Upcoming changes are on the visa and sponsorship key dates page.
Create your free Global Sponsor Hub account to save roles, get alerts and be found by employers who sponsor. Join over 3,000 candidates and growing daily. Create a free account
Hiring for a shortage role? You can post one role free on Global Sponsor Hub, or link your careers page or ATS free.
Related reading: what jobs sponsor visas and top industries hiring international talent.
Which jobs are in shortage in most countries? Nurses and skilled trades such as welders, electricians and plumbers. They're on the official lists in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Germany, and among the widest shortages reported across Europe. Degree-level engineers are on every list we checked.
Is software development still a shortage occupation? It depends on the country. Australia, New Zealand and Ireland still list software roles. Germany's job agency says software development is no longer a bottleneck, and Canada's 2026 categories list only cybersecurity specialists.
Does being on a shortage list mean I'll get a visa? No. A shortage list shows where a country needs people. You still need a job offer or a selection round, and the route's registration, skills and salary rules apply. Check your case with a specialist.
Are care workers on shortage lists? Care workers are widely short in Europe, but they're not on the UK, Australian, Irish or New Zealand skilled lists. In the UK, care roles are open only to people already in the UK who are switching, until 22nd July 2028.
Last checked: 29 Oct 2026
A short email every fortnight when visa or sponsorship rules change. Unsubscribe any time.
