When job hunting at home or abroad, it’s important to understand the general employment outlook for the country in which you reside or plan to reside. Is there a skills shortage in your area of expertise? Is the country in need of engineers, doctors or marketing managers? Is the job market strong or is it experiencing a slowdown? These are just a few of the questions you might ask as you begin your research. Assessing the job market will give you perspective and help you implement a plan of action when it comes to your job hunt.

Here are the current employment outlooks for three of the world’s major countries – and favorite spots for expats: Germany, Canada, and Japan. They will provide snapshots of what’s happening in many jobs sectors in these parts of the world, shining a light on what’s happening globally now and into the future.

Germany

Germany’s employment outlook is not so bright, with more than a third of companies planning to cut jobs this year. But despite companies continuing to reduce their workforce, according to the ifo Institute (Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich), the pace of job cuts seems to be slowing down. It is, however, too early to talk of a turning point in the labor market, as uncertainty is still widespread and increasing.

The unemployment rate is at its highest level since the pandemic, and employers across all sectors are concerned about the current situation. This year, most job vacancies are expected to be in the following sectors: sales and marketing, engineering and health care. Green energy, IT, digital marketing and engineering also have many openings.

Areas of Job Promise

1. Engineering: Engineers are highly sought after in the country across various sectors. In particularly high demand are engineers in the field of R&D. Other sectors looking for talents include construction and architecture, automation, renewable energies and AI.
2. Finance and fintech: Germany’s finance sector is being reshaped by the growing adoption of fintech solutions. The sector is one of the fastest growing, with digital banking, blockchain, cryptocurrencies and online payment platforms transforming how financial services are delivered. As a major financial hub, Germany hosts institutions like the Deutsche Bank and vibrant fintech startup scenes in cities like Berlin and Frankfurt. Demand is high for risk analysts, compliance experts, blockchain engineers and fintech developers.
3. Green energy: The country’s green energy sector is expanding, as Germany tries to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. Within the next five years, the plan is to generate 80% of the national electricity from renewable sources. As a result, demand for green energy professionals is expected to increase by 15% annually. Roles like solar, wind, hydrogen, energy-efficient construction and sustainable urban planning are on the rise. Talents that can guide governments and companies on how to reduce their carbon footprints and those with experience in sustainability consulting, green technologies and environmental science are highly sought after this year.
4. Health Care: The health care sector is undergoing a significant digital transformation, with AI-driven diagnostics, telemedicine and digital health records reshaping how care is delivered. The aging population and rising demand for health care services is also driving the industry’s growth. The digital transformation is fueling demand for professionals with experience in home care, geriatrics and digital health technologies. Roles in demand include those that combine medical knowledge with IT and data skills – such as health care IT specialists and telemedicine experts. To work in this sector, foreign professionals need to speak German and meet the requirements outlined by the Ministry of Health.
5. ICT: Germany’s IT sector remains a key driver of job growth, fueled by digitalization and emerging technologies like AI, cybersecurity and machine learning. There are going to be an estimated 700,000 IT job vacancies by the end of this year. Software developers, cloud specialists and data scientists are particularly in demand. Sought-after skills include programming and cloud platforms knowledge. Main tech hubs in the country are Munich, Berlin and Hamburg.
6. Sales and marketing: As companies prioritize digital channels, the sales, marketing and e-commerce sectors remain a key driver of the economy this year. These sectors’ growth is fueling demand for digital marketing specialists, social media managers, SEO/SEM experts and content creators who can enhance online visibility and engagement. E-commerce managers and sales experts with knowledge of international markets are also in high demand. Businesses are looking for digital advertising, influencer marketing and customer analytics skills.

Overall, according to the government, the following professions are in demand across the country:

• Nursing professionals
• Medical professionals
• Engineers
• IT specialists
• Scientists
• Craftspeople
• ‘Green Jobs’
• Professionals working in the transport sector
• Education
• Hospitality and catering professionals

Professions that Need Skilled Workers in Germany:

• Health and social care professionals (doctors, nurses, midwives, etc.)
• Architects, planners, surveyors and designers
• Education
• Construction
• Manufacturing, mining
• Science and engineering professionals
• Life sciences professionals
• Distribution managers
• Information and communications technology service managers

Canada

Canada’s labor market is seeing a slight upturn. Its relatively high unemployment rate of 6.6% has been dropping slightly over the past few months. The unemployment rate is skewed by a very high youth unemployment rate of 14% (workers aged 15-24).

The Top 15 Most In-Demand Jobs in Canada

• IT Developers
• Registered Nurses
• Construction Project Managers
• Warehouse Workers
• Welders
• Drivers
• Digital Marketing Coordinators
• Customer Service Representatives
• Human Resources Managers
• Accounting Technicians/Bookkeepers
• Mechanical Engineers
• Business Analysts
• Production Supervisors
• Administrative Assistants
• Sales Associates

Annual job growth over the past three years has far outpaced the pre-pandemic average (2010-2019). Last year, the country added an average of 32,000 jobs per month, and 80% of those jobs were full-time roles. Hiring was spread across two-thirds of all industries.

The number of overall job vacancies has fallen by over 15% year over year. Health care and accommodation and food services currently have the highest number of job vacancies.

Source: StatCan

The most recent Canadian Survey on Business Conditions found that 70% of employers maintain a positive business outlooks for the next few months. However, the job market outlook for the near future is uncertain. Falling immigration levels are expected to lower the unemployment rate to around 6% by the beginning of next year, but trade wars between Canada and the US could hurt business investments and freeze hiring.

Areas of Job Promise

Green Economy: The government has committed to moving toward a net-zero economy and made investing in clean technologies a major priority. These investments are generating job opportunities in a variety of fields – from engineering to forestry to mining. The Smart Prosperity Institute estimates there will be nearly 300,000 openings in the green economy by 2030.

Occupations Expected to Require Green Skills the Most by 2040

• Civil engineers/civil engineering technicians
• Electrical and electronics engineers
• Administrative professionals
• Business services managers
• Corporate sales managers
• Customer and information services representatives
• Human resources professionals
• Maintenance managers
• Construction managers
• Candidates with wastewater processing and renewable energy skills are needed most.
• Top Ten Green Skills Most in Demand
• Wastewater processing
• Renewable energy
• Solar power
• ISO 14000
• LEED
• Air quality
• Energy efficiency
• Wind power generation
• Green energy
• Energy conservation

The sectors hiring the most green workers are mining, oil and gas extraction; utilities; professional, scientific and technical services; public administration; and manufacturing. While the Northwest Territories has the greatest need for workers with green skills, the highest number of job postings is in Ontario.

Superclusters

Canada’s Global Innovation Clusters program was created to attract talent, create jobs and grow the economy. Each cluster is comprised of industry-led confederations focused on technological innovations in key sectors.

There are five major ‘superclusters’:

1. Digital Technology: based in British Columbia
2. Protein Industries: based in the Prairie Provinces
3. Advanced Manufacturing: based in Ontario
4. Scale AI: based in Quebec
5. Ocean: based in Atlantic Canada

Talent Shortages

Statistics Canada reports that nearly 30% of employers surveyed expect to experience difficulty recruiting skilled workers over the next several months. Health care and social assistance; manufacturing; administrative and support; and waste management and remediation services are expected to be the most challenged in finding workers.

Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS)

The Ministry of Employment and Social Development of Canada’s (ESDC) Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) is used to project labor market demand and supply into the near future. The most recent COPS analysis predicts that, out of the 8.1 million job openings projected through 2033, 2.6 million are expected to be new positions resulting from economic growth.

More than 100 occupations are expected to face moderate-to-severe risks of shortages over this time period. The majority of these at-risk occupations are in the health care, natural and applied sciences, construction and transportation industries.

Sampling of Occupations with Predicted Shortages Through 2033

• Cybersecurity specialists
• Civil and mechanical engineers
• Clinical and laboratory medicine specialists
• Surgeons
• Registered nurses and nurse practitioners
• Teachers
• Therapists
• Cooks
• Trades workers (machinists, carpenters, welders, electricians, plumbers, etc.)
• Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services
• Manufacturing laborers

Japan

The global economy (and demand) is slowing down and that could have repercussions on Japan as well, reducing investments and deteriorating consumer confidence. Core consumer inflation is currently 3.5%, the highest rate in the past couple of years.

The country’s large maritime areas have made fishing a primary sector, although this is slowly changing. Among other factors, fishing stocks are also negatively impacted by climate change. As the industry declines, it has to rely on fish imports to meet demand. As a result, many foreign fishing companies have found new business opportunities exporting their products to Japan.

The industrial sector is diversified and technologically sophisticated. Once the world’s first manufacturer of electronic products, Japan now has to compete with other players in the region. It remains strong for the production of components and devices and key technologies including medical cameras and all-solid batteries. Its future goals include the development of new technologies for factory automation. Robotics, automobile, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, nanotechnology and renewable energy are key industries in this sector.

Banking, insurance services, retailing, transportation and telecommunications are among the top industries in the services sector.

Tourism is also a major industry. After years of crisis caused by the pandemic, the number of tourists making their way to the country is rising steadily to the point that Japan is promoting regional tourism using innovative and sustainable measures to avoid overcrowding.

Employment Outlook

In the Asia-Pacific Region, Japan has positive hiring intentions for the coming months, although one of the lowest (+14% compared to +43% of India, +32% of China and +27% of Singapore).

The national unemployment rate is currently around 2.5%, low compared to other developed economies.

• Talent shortages are pushing salaries higher.
• Over 50% of employers are planning to increase salaries, usually in the 1% to 5% range.
• Most of the new positions will be in IT, finance, engineering.

Key Employment Trends

Equality Needed: Japan’s gender gap in the workforce remains a significant economic concern despite recent improvements. The country ranked low (118th out of 146 countries) in last year’s gender gap report by the World Economic Forum.

Women still earn less than what men earn for working full-time and the share of women in senior leadership roles is very low (14.6%).

Expatriate Workers: The number of foreign workers in Japan has reached a new high, they are 2.3 million now in the country, the highest number in over two decades. The majority of them (one quarter) comes from Vietnam.

Foreign workers are needed to help address the nation’s shrinking labor force and aging population.

Hybrid work: Hybrid models of working have become increasingly valued by employees. Efforts by some organizations after the pandemic to enforce a full return to the office have met resistance, prompting workers to look for flexible alternatives. Some companies however have reevaluated their hybrid work policies in favor of working in-presence due to worries of declining productivity and impacts on the workplace culture.

Overall, while flexible working models have entered Japanese society, businesses continue to wrestle with finding the right balance between flexibility and performance.

Areas of Job Promise

The following sectors register some of the highest hiring activity:

• Accounting and finance
• Industrial and automotive
• Legal
• Life sciences
• Sales and marketing
• Technology

Sectors such as electronics and robotics are also showing sustained hiring.

Skills in Demand

Japan is one of the toughest places in the world to recruit professionals. This is due to a mix of cultural reasons, language skills and labor-force demographics.

Top in-demand hard skills this year include:

• IoT system planning
• AI and ML
• Robotics
• Cloud computing
• Data analysis
• Cybersecurity
• STEM education
• Teaching skills
• Health care and life sciences
• Renewable energy / sustainability expertise
• Financial expertise
• Employers are also valuing soft skills including:
• Advanced leadership
• Emotional intelligence
• Adaptability
• Resilience
• Cross-cultural communication

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