Talent shortages at the industry level are expected to be a key challenge in the Netherlands over the 2025-2030 period: 56% of firms operating in the country expect hiring difficulties, while only 15% foresee improvements in talent availability. In response, 86% of businesses are planning on accelerating the automation of processes and tasks as a key workforce strategy to address talent shortages, a higher level than their global peers. Upskilling (envisaged by 83% of respondents) and recruiting talent with new skills (anticipated by 71%) are also areas of focus. Furthermore, companies in the Netherlands plan to utilize diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to expand their talent base, with 64% of firms expecting to set specific goals and 46% to embed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across their supply chains. By 2030, employers in Norway expect their business models to be significantly impacted by the green and digital transitions. Alongside AI and big data, curiosity and lifelong learning, resilience, flexibility, and agility are expected to be skills with increasing demand, with more employers emphasizing these competencies than in other countries. Seventy-four percent of companies operating in Norway highlight the benefits of public funding for reskilling and upskilling, exceeding the global average. Furthermore, three in every five respondents plan to expand their talent base by leveraging diversity, equity and inclusion policies, surpassing global averages. Additionally, a lower proportion of companies in Norway anticipates wages to account for a growing share of their total revenue over the next five years (26%, compared to 52% globally) and a higher proportion anticipates the reverse (22%, compared to 8% globally). In Poland, broadening digital access is expected to be the predominant trend driving shifts in the labour market by 2030. The impact of this trend is evident in firms’ expectations regarding changing skills demand, with employers unanimously anticipating increased need for AI and big data skills. Talent availability is also seen as a concern, with 52% of employers operating in the country expecting aging and shrinking workforce to impact their business over the next five years and 65% foreseeing hiring challenges. To address these issues, companies in Poland see potential in supporting employee health and well-being and expanding remote and hybrid work options within the country to attract and retain talent. In Portugal, 71% of the workforce is expected to require training by 2030, above the global average of 58%. Key skills in demand over the next five years are anticipated to include curiosity and lifelong learning, talent management, and leadership and social influence. Skills such as teaching and mentoring as well as resource management are also increasingly sought after in the country. Firms operating in Portugal plan to invest in reskilling and upskilling, with 87% of employers expecting improved talent retention and 73% transitioning employees to new or evolving roles. Forty percent of respondents regard government as a key funding source for their reskilling and upskilling efforts, which is twice the global average. Broadening digital access, rising cost of living, and growing geoeconomic fragmentation are seen to be shaping the labour market in Romania over the 2025-2030 period. One out of three companies operating in the country also cite stricter anti-trust and competition regulations as a factor impacting their business models in the next five years, nearly twice the global average. Seventy-six percent of businesses in Romania identify skills gaps in the labour market as a key barrier to transformation, alongside challenges related to talent attraction to industry. To address these concerns, 94% of employers are planning on investing in workforce upskilling, a higher share than their global peers (85%). Firms in the country also anticipate hiring staff with new skills (79%) and accelerating automation (68%) as key workforce strategies in the next half-decade. Rising cost of living and increased digitalization are expected to be key trends impacting businesses operating in Serbia over the next five years. In addition to skills in AI and big data and technological literacy, talent management and resource management are the skills anticipated to be most in demand in the country. Two-thirds of employers identify skills gaps in the labour market as a key barrier for transforming their business. With regard to policies seen as effective to improve talent availability, 67% of firms point to increased flexibility in hiring and firing practices and 50% to wage subsidies, both above global averages. In Slovenia, demographic shifts are identified as top-of-mind by employers, with 68% and 45%, respectively, identifying aging and shrinking workforces in some parts of the world and growing working-age populations in others as key trends impacting business models over the next five years. Both shares are above the global average. Skills gaps in the labour market are seen as a key barrier to transformation by two-thirds of companies operating in the country, followed by organizational culture and resistance to change. To improve talent availability, 71% of employers suggest considering more flexible policies regarding hiring and firing, while 50% point to reforming immigration laws. Seven in 10 firms plan to offer higher wages and nearly six in 10 plan to review working hours and overtime policies to improve their attractiveness as employers. Increasing investments in carbon reduction, broadening digital access, and rising cost of living are expected to shape the labour market in Spain over the 2025-2030 period. Key barriers to transformation perceived by respondents include skills gaps, regulatory frameworks, and resistance to change and organizational cultures. To address talent availability challenges via public policy, 60% of employers in Spain see potential in increased flexibility in hiring and firing practices, and 49% in increased flexibility in setting wages, in addition to Future of Jobs Report 2025 73