Sheet Metal Workers: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)

Sheet Metal Workers is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 7213) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.

  • Boilersmith
  • Coppersmith
  • Panel beater
  • Tinsmith
19European countries report a shortage (EURES 2025)
2countries report a surplus
4,512open job ads right now in Germany and Sweden
7213ISCO-08 occupation code
Short answerIn the 2025 EURES report on labour shortages, 19 European countries reported a shortage of sheet metal workers: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. 2 reported a surplus: Finland and Hungary. Hungary appears in both lists, which usually means shortages in some regions and surpluses in others.

Pay in the UK for this job

£32,207median gross pay a year, full-time
£633median gross pay a week, full-time
8,000full-time jobs (ONS estimate)

UK occupation used: Sheet metal workers (SOC 2020 code 5211). Placeivo matched this to ISCO-08 7213 by job title and duties; the UK and international occupation lists do not line up exactly. National figure for the whole United Kingdom, in pounds sterling (GBP), before income tax and National Insurance.

Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, Table 14 (occupation by 4-digit SOC 2020): tables 14.7a (annual pay, gross) and 14.1a (weekly pay, gross), full-time employee jobs, United Kingdom. Weekly pay is for April 2025; annual pay is for the tax year ending 5 April 2025, employees in the same job for at least a year. Retrieved 2026-10-13.

See the ONS earnings tables by occupation

UK Skilled Worker visa for this job

Only in some casesGOV.UK level: Medium Skilled
£33,400standard going rate a year
£26,800lower going rate a year

This occupation (UK code 5211, Sheet metal workers) is a medium-skilled job. GOV.UK says a new visa for a medium-skilled job is usually possible only if the job is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, with their own conditions; some people extending a visa they already hold have different rules. Check both lists before applying. GOV.UK says the lower going rate applies if you apply for a Health and Care Worker visa in certain occupations, or got the certificate of sponsorship for your first Skilled Worker visa before 4 April 2024 and have held one ever since. Going rates are for a 37.5-hour week and are pro-rated for other hours. Placeivo matched this UK code to ISCO-08 7213 by job title; the lists do not line up exactly.

This is a summary of official rules, not legal advice. Rules change and some people (for example those already on a Skilled Worker visa) have different rules. Always check GOV.UK before you apply.

Source: UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK tables "Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes" and "Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes", updated 2025-07-22, retrieved 2026-10-15. General minimum salary from GOV.UK "Skilled Worker visa: Your job", checked 2026-10-15.

Compare UK visa going rates by job · Eligible occupations (GOV.UK) · Going rates (GOV.UK) · Salary rules (GOV.UK)

Latest sheet metal workers 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

4,375 open ads
  • Sheet metal worker
    German title: Klempner
    Tempton Personaldienstleistungen GmbH NL Kiel · Rendsburg · Posted 2026-10-01
  • Sheet metal worker
    German title: Klempner
    König Fachpersonal GmbH & Co KG, Niederlassung Hamburg · Hamburg · Posted 2026-10-01

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

Sweden

137 open ads

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

Where sheet metal workers are needed in Europe

CountryEURES 2025Average gross pay, all craft and related trades workers (2022)1-bed rent in the capital
AustriaShortage€3,048 a month *Vienna: €1,250
BelgiumShortageNot yet verifiedBrussels: €1,150
BulgariaShortage€683 a monthSofia: €650
CzechiaShortage€1,370 a monthPrague: €1,250
DenmarkShortage€4,885 a month *Copenhagen: €1,800
EstoniaShortage€1,512 a monthTallinn: €720
FranceShortage€2,305 a month *Paris: €1,550
GermanyShortage€3,095 a monthBerlin: €1,350
IrelandShortageNot yet verifiedDublin: €2,000
ItalyShortage€2,220 a month *Rome: €1,300
LatviaShortage€1,288 a monthRiga: €870
LuxembourgShortage€3,604 a month *Luxembourg: €1,900
NetherlandsShortage€3,145 a monthNot yet verified
NorwayShortage€4,565 a monthOslo: €2,000
PolandShortage€1,093 a monthWarsaw: €840
PortugalShortage€1,083 a month *Lisbon: €1,400
SloveniaShortage€1,645 a monthLjubljana: €950
SwedenShortage€3,464 a month *Stockholm: €2,100
HungaryShortage and surplus€1,088 a month *Budapest: €910
FinlandSurplus€3,362 a month *Helsinki: €1,150

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

What sheet metal workers do

Sheet metal workers make, install and repair articles and parts of articles made out of sheet metal such as sheet steel, copper, tin, brass, aluminium, zinc or galvanised iron.

Typical tasks

  • Marking sheet metal for cutting and shaping
  • Making and repairing household utensils and other articles in tin, copper and light alloys, or ornamental articles and fittings
  • Making and repairing boilers, tanks, vats and similar containers
  • Installing and repairing sheet-metal parts of vehicles and aircraft
  • Converting blueprints into shop drawings to be followed in the construction and assembly of sheet metal products
  • Determining project requirements, including scope, assembly sequences, and required methods and materials, according to blueprints, drawings, and written or verbal instructions
  • Inspecting product quality and installation to ensure conformance to specifications

Finding sheet metal workers jobs in Europe

  • EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Tinsmith".
  • 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:

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. United Kingdom, closest UK occupation: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (median pay of full-time employees).
  • Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.

See all jobs in demand in Europe · Methodology