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EU reports shortage of RAC technicians

In the latest edition of the labour shortages and surpluses report, the European Labour Authority identified 11 countries with severe shortage of air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics.

The European Labour Authority publishes an annual report on labour market imbalances in the EU27 plus Norway and Switzerland, based on data from the European Network of Employment Services (EURES) National Coordination Offices (NCOs), complemented by other quantitative and qualitative sources.

 

According to the latest report, there was a highly severe shortage of “air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics” in 11 countries in 2023: Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Romania and Slovenia. Highly severe shortage occupations are defined in the report as those where at least 60% of the vacancies are challenging to fill.

 

“Air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics” ranked fifth out of 15 occupations with severe shortage, with heavy truck drivers and nurses ranking first and second respectively.

 

“Air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics” were included in the construction sector, which is critical in the EU energy efficiency. Among other factors, labour shortage is affected by the availability of skills and the extent to which the sector’s skill needs are subject to change resulting from, amongst other things, the green and digital transitions.

 

The sector also suffers from an aging workforce and the pressure to replace those who have retired. The report presented demographics of each occupation, highlighting a lack of women among “Air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics” in EU27 and a share of only 18% of workers under 30 years old.

 

There is a clear need to improve the attractiveness of the sector especially among young people.  It is imperative to communicate on technical innovation, higher wages and better health and safety policies and practices, to improve the sector’s public representation. Furthermore, the refrigeration sector is recognised within the United Nations as a development priority for its benefits to human life, and an environmental priority for its impact on climate change.

 

 

Did you know? The IIR has a working group dedicated to promoting careers in refrigeration to the younger generations, and particularly women.
Careers in Refrigeration “CaRe”

 

 

Source

Labour shortages and surpluses in Europe 2023. https://www.ela.europa.eu/en/publications/labour-shortages-and-surpluses-europe-2023