The scale of the problem varies hugely between countries and it is most pronounced in Asia.

Japan was the country most severely affected, with 89 percent of companies familiar with the problem. The country has been at the top of the survey for some consecutive years, as it was one of the first industrialized nations to experience a rapidly aging population and decline of labor market participation. Having only recently opened up to more immigrants, the country did not fight the problem for many years either.

According to the Manpower Talent Shortage Survey of 2018, more problematic job markets for employers could be found Turkey and Greece, even though these didn’t come close to Japan’s numbers. Out of all Western European countries surveyed, Germany has the highest rate of skill shortages with 51 percent of companies experiencing them. 

China improved their supply of skilled workers significantly since 2014, with its rate dropping from 24 percent to 13 percent. Brazil’s skill shortage rate almost halfed from 63 percent to 34 percent.

This article and chart originally appeared on the blog of Statista, a data firm, and is republished here with permission. Luxembourg was not covered by the Manpower survey.