In-demand professions for international labour mobility

Displaced talent programs are an innovative way for employers and governments to address skills gaps. Typically, “in-demand” skills are ones that employers find difficult to source in their local labour markets. They may be in occupations that require vocational or higher education qualifications, or in occupations that do not have any formal qualification requirements but instead require candidates to have the right aptitude, experience or motivation for the role. In-demand occupations exist across the labour market, in high and low-wage segments. In some cases, occupations are “in demand” due to demographic factors, such as an aging population or urbanization of the country. For example, skill and labour shortages are often particularly acute in particular areas of a country (eg. a rural or regional area), or in a particular sector that has seen a surge in demand (such as aged care or tech skills related to AI/robotics ).

In many cases, an individual’s occupation must be considered as being “in-demand” in order to be eligible for sponsorship by an employer.

Government Skilled Occupation Lists

• Australia
• Belgium
• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Portugal
• Spain
• The United Kingdom
• The United States 
• New Zealand

Summary of in-demand occupations

Every year, Manpower Group releases a Global Skills Shortage report that highlights the occupations and industries in the most acute shortage. 

Talent Beyond Boundaries has compiled the following informal summary of in-demand occupations for refugee labour mobility based on its experience facilitating international job matches. The table aligns generally with the occupations outlined by Manpower.

The list of industries is not exhaustive and should only be considered as general guidance.