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Europeans are increasingly looking to recruit professionals from outside the EU for jobs in their companies. According to a study – Europe's labour market: Foreign talent at work – conducted by ManpowerGroup on behalf of the Initiative Liberalisation, this is due to an ongoing lack of local workforce. In Germany, 28% of employers consider themselves to require more non-national employees. That's twice as many as at the start of 2015. The demand for specialists with English skills has also increased noticeably (10%), while there is still strong demand for IT experts and those who can speak German professionally or mother tongue (9%).

In Italy, the desire to fill vacancies with people abroad will rise sharply over the next five according to the survey, with 18% of companies expecting to hire professionals from abroad. In France, it is growing steadily, with 15% more employers looking for foreigners in their workforce this year compared to last.

As a result of Europe's ongoing lack of staffing in several positions and sectors, foreign specialists enjoy more significant opportunities than ever before within European companies.

The 12 professions in demand for foreigners in Europe include :

1. Sales specialists (33%)

Despite the growing online trade in Europe, people are still keen to do their shopping in person, and sales assistants are premium. They can expect to earn between €1,500 and €3,000 per month depending on what country they work in and how much experience they have. These salespeople will be expected to speak another language besides their native tongue, such as English or German. France, Italy and Spain offer the most opportunities for this job role overall. To give you an idea of salaries: a senior-level specialist with more than four years' experience can make around £10 000 ($14 500) per year in Germany; about £2 800 ($4 400) per month in France; and around £1 400 ($2 200) per month in Italy.

2. IT specialists (28%)

The demand for IT experts is strong across Europe, with 28% of employers looking to fill vacancies with non-nationals. This has increased over previous years. They are especially needed in Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain, where there is a deficit of local talent, according to ManpowerGroup's statistics – while 47% of companies surveyed said they would need to recruit more foreigners within this sector compared to last year. In France, too, the demand for IT specialists has risen by 16%. Average salaries vary enormously depending on location: an English speaking graduate can expect between £25 000 to £35 000 ($40 000 to $56 000) per year in London while their German equivalent can make from around £29 600 ($45 100) per annum; £18 800 ($30 300) per year in France and up to £11 700 ($18 500) a year in Italy.

3. Engineers (23%)

Companies are particularly keen on recruiting foreign engineers, especially those able to speak English – 23% of employers are looking for foreigners within this sector compared to last year. They will likely be employed as highly paid specialists and trainees. In the United Kingdom, 26% of companies said they want or expect to hire more foreigners compared to last year – personnel with experience working with IT systems can earn between £25 800 ($40 000) to £42 800 ($64 000) a year. In Germany, the average salary for foreign engineers is between £25 600 ($40 000) to £46 600 ($72 200) per year.

4. Secretaries & Administrators (18%)

There are growing opportunities on the job market for foreign secretaries and administrators in Europe; 18% of companies looking to fill positions with non-nationals this year compared with 12% last year, according to ManpowerGroup's statistics – again, English speaking employees will be especially sought after. These workers can expect wages of around £26 500 ($41 000), or more if they have experience working as an administrative assistant or secretary in London – who can earn from around £35 000 ($54 000) to £49 600 ($76 700) a year, according to job search engine Adzuna.

5. Sales and Marketing specialists (17%)

Can expect opportunities in sales and marketing related positions across Europe; 17% more employers are looking for foreigners this year than last. This is especially true of France, where 24% of companies will be recruiting from abroad – perhaps unsurprisingly, many French businesses still aren't set up online, so they need people who can travel around the country visiting clients in person or making cold calls in a foreign language. The average salary for sales & marketing specialists is between €24 200 (US$26 800) to €38 400 (US$43 500) per year in France; £30 500 ($45 000) to £51 800 ($77 400) per year in the United Kingdom and between €18 200 (US$20 700) to €27 800 (US$31 300) a year in Germany.

6. Clerks and assistants (15%)

Employers are looking for more foreign clerks and administrative assistants in their business, 15% more than last year – this is partly because young people are less likely to consider these positions as careers. Of course, companies will also look for native speakers who can communicate clearly with clients. These employees can earn a similar salary across Europe; around £22 600 ($35 000) a year in London; about £14 900 ($22 000) per year in Paris, and an average of €14 800 ($18 500) to €22 300 (US$ 25 200) a year in Germany.

7. Telephone operators & distributive workers (15%)

It's not just the IT sector where companies are looking for more foreign staff; 15% more employers will be bringing on board telephone operators, sales agents and distribution workers than they did last year, according to ManpowerGroup statistics – this is especially true of Spain: 24% of companies said they want to employ foreigners compared with 16% last year. Foreigners can earn between £12 600 ($18 700) to £17 400 ($25 600) a year working as a call centre operative or sales agent in London – depending on how much experience they have. This salary will be significantly higher if they can speak another language; for example, German – a native speaker, could expect to earn between £17 500 ($25 000) to £23 800 ($35 200) a year as the same job.

8. Cooks & Catering staff (13%)

According to ManpowerGroup's statistics, employers are looking for more foreign cooks and catering workers in their business; 13% of companies said they want or expect to employ more foreigners than last year. However, France is bucking this trend: only 10% of employers said they were looking for more foreigners compared with 16% last year. In Spain, however, things may be different: 25% of employers are looking for more foreign nationals this year compared with 19% last year. In the UK, it's the same story; 20% of companies currently employ non-nationals, and 15% said they wanted to hire more foreigners compared with 18% last year, according to Adzuna's statistics.

Foreigners can expect to earn between £7 600 ($11 000) per year working as a cook in Spain; £12 500 ($18 400) to £19 800 ($29 100) in London and between €14 700 ($18 900) to €20 300 (21 200) a year in Germany. Foreign cooks should speak clear English if they want a better job over their native language. Why? Because fluency in English will get them a better salary: between £19 000 ($28 600) to £31 800 ($49 200) per year if they speak good German; or between £17 900 ($27 100) to £29 300 ($47 400)- again, due to their ability to communicate fluently with clients.

9. Technicians and associates (12%)

The distance learning sector needs more foreign staff in the form of technicians and associate professionals. 12% more employers are looking for foreigners compared with last year, according to ManpowerGroup's statistics released earlier this month, which also show that it is business as usual across Europe when it comes to recruiting foreign workers for these positions. London – where there is an abundance of jobs in the distance learning sector – has, unsurprisingly, a high number of foreign technicians and associates: 34% are non-British compared to 33% last year according to Adzuna's statistics.

Foreigners can expect to earn between £8 100 ($12 400) per year as a technician or associate in Britain; from €12 500 ($18 000) to €15 200 ($21 600) a year in Germany; and between €11 800 ($17 300) and €15 200 ($21 600) in Spain. Employers will look for foreigners who speak clear English if they want them onboard their team. Those fluent in German can also expect an even better salary: between £45 600 (US$67 400), depending on how much experience they have and whether they are a native speaker; or between £28 000 ($41 600) to £40 200 ($59 800)- again, due to the additional communication skills that fluency in German gives them.

Final Thoughts

Every year, more and more foreigners are employed in Spain, the UK, and Germany as employers look to enhance their team's effectiveness by hiring the best-educated, most skilled employees they can. The jobs most in demand of non-nationals require higher education or better communication skills – for example, language.

There's no question that there are many opportunities out there if you have foreign qualifications and speak other languages: chances are your salary will reflect this when you're working abroad. It might be worth checking Faruse's Jobs pages to see what job sectors are on offer in which country before you start applying. When it comes down to it, certain cultures place a high value on fluency in English, so if you're a native English speaker and have qualifications in another language, it could be that the UK is the best place for you.

But remember: just because these are the jobs most in demand of foreign employees doesn't mean they all require high-level or professional skills! Suppose you've got skills such as working with your hands, operating machinery or being able to lift heavy items. In that case, you're more likely to find work abroad than if you're applying for an office job that requires superior communication skills – unless you happen to speak several languages fluently. It's vital that you research countries where recruiters are looking for workers so that when it comes to choosing your destination country, there will be opportunities available for your skillset.

If you are looking for English speaking jobs in Europe, do not hesitate to reach out to us on Faruse as we can help you find a job in Europe.

If you want to learn more about getting a job in Europe, we encourage you to sign up and receive our monthly newsletter on Faruse, where we give you tips and resources from real people who wrote us with their stories of moving abroad. You can also follow us on Facebook or Instagram or send an email anytime! We wish you all the best on your journey to reach your overseas employer goals! 🙂

The Faruse Team.

Written by Rohan Singh. He co-founded Faruse and is a full-stack growth marketer based in Paris. You can contact him on LinkedIn.

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