Europe has spent much of the past decade debating migration in terms of borders, asylum and control. But another question is moving rapidly up the policy agenda: how do we connect global talent to the economies facing the most urgent skills shortages?
Published on 14th October 2026
Last week, the European Commission unveiled a new Fair Labour Mobility Package. It is designed to make it easier for people to take their skills where they are needed across the EU, while strengthening protections for mobile workers. It follows the creation earlier this year of the EU Talent Pool, which will match jobseekers from outside the EU with employers struggling to recruit for shortage occupations.
A renewed policy focus on supporting talent mobility has been much needed. Today, there is a mismatch between where talent and opportunity are found. When jobs remain unfilled in one country while people with relevant skills and potential struggle to find opportunities elsewhere, everybody loses. Employers cannot grow. Essential services struggle to recruit. Economies lose productive capacity. And workers are denied opportunities to use and develop their skills.
We need fresh thinking and practical solutions to address these challenges. This is why the World Employment Confederation recently published Borderless Talent, our latest Social Impact Report which examines how better international talent mobility can help address critical labour and skills shortages.
“When jobs remain unfilled in one country while people with relevant skills and potential struggle to find opportunities elsewhere, everybody loses. Employers cannot grow. Essential services struggle to recruit. Economies lose productive capacity. And workers are denied opportunities to use and develop their skills.”
Why we can’t afford to leave jobs and talent unmatched
The need to find better solutions for talent mobility is becoming more urgent.
Europe’s population is ageing rapidly. By 2050, nearly one in three EU residents is projected to be aged 65 or over, compared with one in five today. The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre warns that these demographic changes will bring labour shortages, pressure on public finances and growing demands on healthcare and care systems.
Healthcare shows what this can mean in practice. The World Health Organization now projects a global shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030. At the same time, international talent is already integral to many advanced healthcare systems: more than 830,000 foreign-born doctors and 1.75 million foreign-born nurses were working across OECD countries in 2020–21, representing around a quarter of doctors and a sixth of nurses.
These pressures will not be solved by migration alone. Countries need to invest in domestic skills, participation, productivity and workforce retention. But there are limits to how far domestic measures alone can address persistent labour and skills shortages. International talent mobility can help close the gap, connecting workers with opportunities and employers with the skills they need.
Making the positive case for well-managed migration
That is why we need to make a more confident case for legal, ethical and well-managed international talent mobility.
Migration is too often discussed only in terms of its risks and pressures. And of course, there are legitimate concerns to be addressed. Illegal recruitment, worker-paid fees, deception, exploitation and forced labour are real problems. Poorly managed recruitment can also deprive countries of scarce skills they badly need themselves. WHO specifically warns that international recruitment can exacerbate health workforce shortages, particularly in lower-income countries.
But these are arguments for getting international talent mobility right. not for ignoring its potential.
When mobility is based on genuine labour market need, supported by legal pathways and governed by strong standards, the benefits can be significant. Workers gain access to opportunities. Employers gain skills they cannot find locally. Destination countries strengthen their workforces and essential services. And well-designed approaches such as skills partnerships and circular migration can create benefits for countries of origin too.
At WEC, we see how this can work in practice. Private employment services can turn this global talent mismatch into opportunity. connecting people with jobs, employers with skills, and economies with the talent they need to grow. Our Borderless Talent report brings together examples from around the world showing what becomes possible when this labour market expertise is combined with effective public policy.
“At WEC, we see how this can work in practice. Private employment services can turn the global talent mismatch into opportunity – connecting people with jobs, employers with skills, and economies with the talent they need to grow.”
Building the pathways that connect talent with opportunity
The direction of travel is encouraging. But the scale and urgency of the challenge require governments to go further.
WEC is calling for talent mobility policy grounded in real labour market evidence; more effective circular migration pathways; greater use of international frameworks to strengthen fair and ethical recruitment; legal frameworks that keep pace with changing forms of cross-border work; and stronger partnerships between governments, employers, public and private employment services and civil society. The European Commission’s latest proposals are another sign that these questions are moving from the margins towards the centre of economic and labour market policy.
But we need to move faster. Ageing populations and persistent skills shortages will not wait while governments perfect their systems. Nor should people with valuable skills and ambition be left without opportunity simply because that opportunity happens to exist somewhere else.
The skills are there to be found. Vital jobs are there to be filled. The urgent task now is to build the trusted pathways that connect this talent with opportunity.
Bettina Schaller
President of the World Employment Confederation
About the World Employment Confederation
The World Employment Confederation (WEC) is the global voice of the private employment services industry, representing national federations and multinational companies across more than 50 countries. WEC members collectively place more than 61 million people into employment each year, providing flexible and permanent recruitment, workforce management, HR services, and skills development. WEC advocates for labour markets that are adaptive, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of workers and employers alike.
