A new year brings new hopes, and January is a popular time for career moves.
According to new LinkedIn research, almost half of Europeans (47%) are looking for a new job in 2026, yet the vast majority (77%) feel unprepared to find one. At the same time, recruiters face their own difficulties, with most saying it has become harder to find quality talent.
So how do people across Europe view the job market? And in which countries are workers most actively seeking new opportunities?
According to the research shared with Euronews Business, the UK has the highest proportion of people who are seeking a new role in the new year, compared with seven other European countries. More than half of respondents in the UK said ‘yes’ when they were asked whether they plan to look for a new job in 2026.
Across the seven European countries surveyed, the average share of people planning to look for a new job is 47%.
The UK is the only European country above the global average of 52%, which is based on 14 countries.
Data from global hiring platform Indeed also shows that job postings in the UK remain below pre-pandemic levels and are thelowest amongEurope’s five largest economies as of late 2025. This emphasises the fierce competition in the job market in the UK.
More than half of respondents in Sweden also plan to look for a new job, and this share is close to that level in Spain.
“The job market is evolving quickly, and competition remains strong,” Charlotte Davies, LinkedIn career expert, said.
The share of people who are looking for a new job in 2026 is the lowest in France. Only 37% said that they plan to look for a new job.
Germany and Italy sit below the European average, while the Netherlands matches it.
LinkedIn did not provide specific insights to explain the differences between countries when asked.
Four in five feel unprepared to find a new job
While almost half of Europeans plan to look for a new role in 2026, nearly four in five people say they feel unprepared to find a new job. This sentiment is strongest in Sweden, where 83% report feeling unprepared.
The share is similarly high in France, the UK, and Germany, all near the four-in-five level.
Spain has the lowest share of people feeling unprepared to find a new job at 67%. Italy and the Netherlands sit close to the European average.
The research also shows that around two-thirds of recruiters (66%) say it has become harder to find qualified talent over the past year.
The research was conducted by Censuswide, using a sample of 10,400 respondents who work full-time or part-time. That total also includes those who are unemployed but are currently looking for a role (aged 18-79) across these seven European countries.
AI dominates the jobs on the rise
LinkedIn Economic Graph researchers also examined millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members from 1 January 2023 to 31 July 2025 to calculate a growth rate for each job title. AI roles clearly dominate the list of ‘jobs on the rise’.
Among Europe’s top five economies, two of the three fastest-growing roles are AI engineer and head of AI. The third role varies by country: lecturers in the UK, logistics analysts in Spain, and environmental health–related roles in other countries.
France
1. AI Engineer
2. Head of AI
3. Environmental Coordinator
Germany
1. Head of AI
2. AI Engineer
3. Health, Safety and Environment Officer
Italy
1. AI Engineer
2. Head of AI
3. Environmental Health Safety Specialist
Spain
1. AI Engineer
2. Head of AI
3. Logistics Analyst
UK
1. AI Engineer
2. Head of AI
3. Lecturer
Charlotte Davies from LinkedIn emphasised thatAI is increasingly shaping how they work, how organisations hire, and how people find their next opportunity.