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Home›Earthmoving and Related Plant Operators: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)

Earthmoving and Related Plant Operators: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)

Earthmoving and Related Plant Operators is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 8342) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.

  • Bulldozer operator
  • Excavator operator
  • Front-end loader operator
  • Pile-driver operator
  • Road-roller operator
  • Road surface laying machine operator
  • Snow-groomer operator
14European countries report a shortage (EURES 2025)
5countries report a surplus
2,044open job ads right now in Germany and Sweden
8342ISCO-08 occupation code
Short answerIn the 2025 EURES report on labour shortages, 14 European countries reported a shortage of earthmoving and related plant operators: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. 5 reported a surplus: Austria, Belgium, Finland, Latvia and Luxembourg. Belgium and Finland appear in both lists, which usually means shortages in some regions and surpluses in others.

Latest earthmoving and related plant operators job ads

Real vacancies from the official public employment services, updated daily. Job titles are translated into English automatically; the full ad opens on the official site in German or Swedish (your browser's translate button turns it into English).

Germany

1,939 open ads

Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Germany

Sweden

105 open ads

Source: Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Sweden

Where earthmoving and related plant operators are needed in Europe

CountryEURES 2025Average gross pay, all plant and machine operators and assemblers (2022)1-bed rent in the capital
BulgariaShortage€626 a monthSofia: €650
CroatiaShortage€1,178 a month *Zagreb: €1,050
CzechiaShortage€1,285 a monthPrague: €1,250
DenmarkShortage€4,773 a month *Copenhagen: €1,800
GermanyShortage€2,907 a monthBerlin: €1,350
ItalyShortage€2,300 a month *Rome: €1,300
NetherlandsShortage€3,120 a monthNot yet verified
NorwayShortage€4,749 a monthOslo: €2,000
PolandShortage€1,184 a monthWarsaw: €840
RomaniaShortage€924 a month *Not yet verified
SlovakiaShortage€1,230 a monthBratislava: €910
SloveniaShortage€1,633 a monthLjubljana: €950
BelgiumShortage and surplusNot yet verifiedBrussels: €1,150
FinlandShortage and surplus€3,361 a month *Helsinki: €1,150
AustriaSurplus€3,040 a month *Vienna: €1,250
LatviaSurplus€1,221 a monthRiga: €870
LuxembourgSurplusNot yet verifiedLuxembourg: €1,900

Pay: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, mean gross monthly earnings of all plant and machine operators and assemblers in each country, in euros. This is the average for the whole occupation group, not for earthmoving and related plant operators alone, and before tax. * Firms with 10 or more employees only. Rent: Eurostat, good-quality 1-bedroom flat in the capital, 2025.

What earthmoving and related plant operators do

Earthmoving and related plant operators operate machines to excavate, grade, level, smooth and compact earth or similar materials.

Typical tasks

  • Operating and monitoring excavating machinery equipped with moveable shovel, grab-bucket or dragline bucket, to excavate and move earth, rock, sand, gravel or similar materials
  • Operating and monitoring machinery for digging trenches for sewers, drainage, water, oil, gas or similar pipelines
  • Operating and monitoring machinery equipped with concave steel blade to move, distribute and level earth, sand, snow and other materials
  • Operating and monitoring equipment to remove sand, gravel and mud from bottom of body of water
  • Operating and monitoring machines for hammering wooden, concrete or steel piles into ground
  • Operating and monitoring power roller to compact and smooth layers of materials in making roads, pavements and similar work
  • Operating and monitoring machines which spread and smooth concrete or bituminous or tar preparations to construct roadways, roads or similar surfaces

Finding earthmoving and related plant operators jobs in Europe

Search all EU vacancies on EURES Check if your job is regulated
  • EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Bulldozer operator".
  • Some jobs are regulated professions: before you can work, your qualification may need to be recognised in the new country.
  • If you are not an EU/EEA citizen you will usually need a work permit or a visa such as the EU Blue Card. Check the rules of the country's immigration authority.

Cost of living where the jobs are

Take-home pay needed to rent a good 1-bedroom flat in the capitals of countries reporting a shortage:

SofiaZagrebPragueCopenhagenBerlinRomeOsloWarsawBratislavaLjubljanaBrusselsHelsinki

About this data

  • Shortage and surplus: European Labour Authority, EURES Report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annex table 21 (published 2026). Each country's public employment service reports which occupations it finds hard to fill or in oversupply. Countries not listed did not report this occupation as either.
  • Definition, tasks and job titles: International Labour Organization, ISCO-08 structure and definitions.
  • Pay: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_48), by occupation group.
  • Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.

See all jobs in demand in Europe · Methodology