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

Upholsterers and Related Workers is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 7534) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.

  • Furniture upholsterer
  • Mattress maker
  • Orthopaedic upholsterer
  • Vehicle upholsterer
8European countries report a shortage (EURES 2025)
3countries report a surplus
259open job ads right now in Germany and Sweden
7534ISCO-08 occupation code
Short answerIn the 2025 EURES report on labour shortages, 8 European countries reported a shortage of upholsterers and related workers: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia. 3 reported a surplus: Finland, Hungary and Latvia.

Latest upholsterers 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

255 open ads
  • Upholsterer
    German title: Polsterer
    spp direkt Jena GmbH Niederlassung Sonneberg · Coburg · Posted 2026-10-11
  • Upholsterer
    German title: Polsterer/Polsterin
    GL Personal GmbH · Augsburg, Bayern · Posted 2026-10-08
  • Upholsterer
    German title: Polsterer
    Tempton Personaldienstleistungen GmbH NL Nagold · Nagold · Posted 2026-10-01
  • Upholsterer
    German title: Polsterer
    Randstad Deutschland · Wittenberge, Prignitz · Posted 2026-09-24
  • Upholsterer
    German title: Polsterer
    TimePartner Personalmanagement GmbH · Wassenberg · Posted 2026-09-19
  • Upholsterer
    German title: Polsterer
    aba Logistics GmbH · Immenstaad am Bodensee · Posted 2026-08-25

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

Sweden

4 open ads

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

Where upholsterers 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
CzechiaShortage€1,370 a monthPrague: €1,250
GermanyShortage€3,095 a monthBerlin: €1,350
ItalyShortage€2,220 a month *Rome: €1,300
LithuaniaShortage€1,444 a monthVilnius: €830
RomaniaShortage€969 a month *Not yet verified
SloveniaShortage€1,645 a monthLjubljana: €950
FinlandSurplus€3,362 a month *Helsinki: €1,150
HungarySurplus€1,088 a month *Budapest: €910
LatviaSurplus€1,288 a monthRiga: €870

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 upholsterers 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 upholsterers and related workers do

Upholsterers and related workers install, repair and replace upholstery of furniture, fixtures, orthopaedic appliances, seats, panels, convertible and vinyl tops and other furnishings of automobiles, railway coaches, aircraft, ships and similar items with fabric, leather, rexine or other upholstery material. They also make and repair cushions, quilts and mattresses.

Typical tasks

  • Discussing upholstery fabric, colour and style with customers and providing cost estimate for upholstering furniture or other items
  • Making upholstery patterns from sketches, customer descriptions or blueprints
  • Laying out, measuring and cutting upholstery materials following patterns, templates, sketches, or design specifications
  • Installing, arranging and securing springs, padding and covering material to furniture frames
  • Sewing upholstery materials by hand to seam cushions and joining sections of covering materials
  • Sewing rips or tears in material, or creating tufting, using needle and thread
  • Tacking, gluing or sewing ornamental trims, buckles, braids, buttons and other accessories to covers or frames on upholstered items
  • Laying out, cutting, fabricating and installing upholstery in aircrafts, motor vehicles, railway cars, boats and ships
  • Repairing raw hide covering of artificial limbs
  • Renovating antique furniture using a variety of tools including ripping chisels, magnetic hammers and long needles
  • Collaborating with interior designers to decorate rooms and coordinate furnishing fabrics
  • Making quilts, cushions and mattresses

Finding upholsterers and related workers jobs in Europe

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