Okuzeka
Economics vocabulary · Jobs and Unemployment

Labour shortage

Meaning in economics, with examples

nounCommon term

In economics, labour shortage means: A situation in which employers cannot find enough workers, or enough workers with the right skills, to fill their vacancies.

In Turkish: işgücü açığı, işgücü sıkıntısı, eleman bulma güçlüğü

How it is used

Common in news about ageing populations, migration and wage growth: sectors facing labour shortages, such as construction, health care and hospitality. Shortages often push wages up. A skills shortage is narrower: a lack of qualified workers. US spelling: labor shortage.

Example sentences

  1. Farmers say a labour shortage has left fruit unpicked in the fields.

  2. The labour shortage in hospitals has pushed up nurses' pay.

Common collocations

  • severe labour shortage
  • face a labour shortage
  • skills shortage
  • ease labour shortages
  • shortageA situation in which buyers want more of a product than sellers offer at the current price, often because the price is held below equilibrium.
  • labour marketThe market in which workers offer their time and skills and employers hire them, setting the level of employment and wages.
  • job vacancyA paid position that is available and that an employer is actively trying to fill.
  • wageThe money a worker is paid for their work, especially when it is calculated by the hour, day or week.
  • full employmentA situation in which almost everyone who wants a job can find one; some unemployment still exists because people change jobs or lack the right skills.

More terms: Jobs and Unemployment

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not financial advice.