Ljubljana - Employers registered over 46,480 job vacancies with the Employment Service in the first three months of the year, which is 42.5% more than in the same period last year. The demand is record high since this methodology was introduced in 2014, and is strongest in healthcare, IT, education, construction, transport and hospitality.

According to Employment Service data, employers registered 148,031 vacancies in 2019, 156,163 two years later and as many as 46,484 in the first three months this year.

In March, most in demand were workers for simple manual jobs in manufacturing and construction, cleaners, care homes assistants, waiters, truck drivers, shop assistants, assemblers of electrical and electronic equipment, cooks, welders, kitchen assistants and nurses.

The Employment Services annually assesses which occupations will have an excess or shortage of staff and where the situation will be balanced.

This year's Occupational Barometer assessment shows 108 occupations will face a shortage of labour, up 14 from 2021, 51 will be balanced out and 18 will have a surplus.

Standing out are shortages in health professions, IT, education, construction, transport and warehousing, and in hospitality.