Shoemakers and Related Workers: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)

Shoemakers and Related Workers is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 7536) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.

  • Cobbler
  • Orthopaedic shoemaker
  • Saddler
  • Shoemaker
7European countries report a shortage (EURES 2025)
4countries report a surplus
101open job ads right now in Germany and Sweden
7536ISCO-08 occupation code
Short answerIn the 2025 EURES report on labour shortages, 7 European countries reported a shortage of shoemakers and related workers: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia and Slovenia. 4 reported a surplus: Finland, Latvia, Portugal and Romania.

Latest shoemakers and related 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

100 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

1 open ads

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

Where shoemakers and related 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
BulgariaShortage€683 a monthSofia: €650
GermanyShortage€3,095 a monthBerlin: €1,350
ItalyShortage€2,220 a month *Rome: €1,300
NetherlandsShortage€3,145 a monthNot yet verified
SlovakiaShortage€1,292 a monthBratislava: €910
SloveniaShortage€1,645 a monthLjubljana: €950
FinlandSurplus€3,362 a month *Helsinki: €1,150
LatviaSurplus€1,288 a monthRiga: €870
PortugalSurplus€1,083 a month *Lisbon: €1,400
RomaniaSurplus€969 a month *Not yet verified

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 shoemakers and related workers alone, and before tax. * Firms with 10 or more employees only. Rent: Eurostat, good-quality 1-bedroom flat in the capital, 2025.

What shoemakers and related workers do

Shoemakers and related workers make, modify and repair standard, custom or orthopaedic footwear and natural or synthetic leather articles, such as luggage, handbags and belts, (except for leather garments, hats and gloves), or participate in the manufacture of shoes and related goods. They decorate, reinforce or finish shoes, luggage, handbags and belts.

Typical tasks

  • Making, modifying and repairing standard footwear to meet individual requirements
  • Making, modifying and repairing orthopaedic or therapeutic footwear according to doctors' prescriptions, or modifying existing footwear for people with foot problems and special needs
  • Repairing belts, luggage, purses and similar products
  • Taking plaster casts of deformed legs or feet to prepare drawings
  • Preparing inserts, heel pads and lifts from casts of customers' feet
  • Studying drawings and other specifications to make footwear according to customer’s needs
  • Studying work orders and/or shoe part tags to obtain information about workloads, specifications and the types of materials to be used
  • Checking the texture, colour and strength of leather to ensure that it is adequate for a particular purpose
  • Cutting out, shaping and padding parts for making leather articles
  • Sewing rips or patching holes to repair articles, such as purses, belts, shoes and luggage
  • Removing and examining shoes, shoe parts and designs to verify conformance to specifications such as proper embedding of stitches in channels
  • Attaching accessories or ornamentation to decorate or protect products
  • Making and repairing articles such as saddles and harnesses for animals, luggage, handbags, brief-cases, leather bags, belts and other accessories

Finding shoemakers and related workers jobs in Europe

  • EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Shoemaker".
  • 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.
  • Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.

See all jobs in demand in Europe · Methodology