Recent labour-market data paint a picture that is more nuanced than headline employment figures suggest. While overall employment remains stable, the number of job advertisements has declined, even as wages in specific skilled professions continue to rise sharply. This divergence reflects a structural shift from volume-based hiring to targeted skills acquisition.
In construction and technical trades, monthly wages approaching 200,000 dinars are no longer exceptional, particularly for experienced electricians, welders and machine operators. In the IT sector, top-tier salaries still reach €4,000–4,600, albeit with slower growth than in previous years. Employers are increasingly selective, prioritising productivity and adaptability over headcount expansion.
This trend has important macroeconomic implications. Wage inflation concentrated in skilled segments risks widening income dispersion while failing to generate broad-based consumption growth. At the same time, firms unable to secure talent face capacity constraints that limit output expansion, even when demand exists.
For policymakers, the message is clear. Education, vocational training and workforce reskilling are now growth variables, not social policy add-ons. Without targeted intervention, labour scarcity could become a more binding constraint on GDP growth than capital availability or energy costs.
