Education systems are only as strong as their teachers. Across the OECD, it is becoming harder to attract, develop and retain high-quality teachers. This year’s Education at a Glance looks at how teacher shortages are evolving, and what can be done to tackle them.
Teacher shortages affect most OECD education systems to varying degrees. In Latvia and Luxembourg, the countries with the highest vacancy rates, around 4% of all teaching positions in secondary education, were unfilled at the start of the 2024/25 school year. In most other countries, the share was below 3%.
Recruitment challenges are often more acute in rural, remote and disadvantaged communities. Our data show that shortages are especially pronounced in subjects such as mathematics and the natural sciences, where education systems compete directly with other sectors for highly skilled professionals.
Unfilled positions are only one measure of teacher shortages. Education systems are also relying on teachers who do not yet meet all national qualification requirements: in 2024/25, 9% of primary and secondary teachers were not fully qualified on average across OECD countries.
The ageing of the teaching workforce will only make shortages more acute. Across the OECD, one in four secondary teachers is aged 55 or older, raising the prospect of substantial workforce losses in the coming decades. Education systems will need to replace departing teachers and ensure that new hires are available in the subjects and regions where they are most needed.
More broadly, teacher shortages also reflect economy-wide shortages of skilled workers and competition among employers for a limited supply of qualified staff. Indeed, vacancy rates are higher across the wider economy than in teaching in more than half of the countries with available data. Education systems are therefore facing similar labour market pressures as healthcare, technology and other professions that rely on highly trained staff. As education systems cannot fully address these broader labour market constraints on their own, they also need to focus on making more effective use of available teaching capacity.
Competitive salaries and manageable workloads can help alleviate teacher shortages by making the profession more attractive, but they are not enough. Professional autonomy, supportive leadership, positive working relationships, career development and public recognition also shape the attractiveness of teaching. Although 85% of teachers report being satisfied with their jobs, only 22% believe that teaching is valued by society.
Beyond efforts to attract and retain more teachers, education systems also need to adapt to a future in which fewer teachers may be available. This means finding ways to use teachers’ time and expertise more productively, so they can focus on the activities that have the greatest impact on student learning. Greater use of digital tools and AI, improved workforce planning, and redesigned school structures can help reduce administrative burdens and enable teachers to work more effectively.
Widening entry into the profession is a further lever, alongside more productive use of existing staff. Well-designed pathways for second-career teachers can expand the recruitment pool and bring valuable professional experience into schools. In Australia and the Netherlands, where over 15% of teachers are second-career entrants, flexible pathways recognise prior experience and combine training with employment.
Declining student numbers create an opportunity to reallocate resources to the schools, subjects and communities where shortages are most acute. The number of children aged 5-14 across the OECD is projected to fall by 9% between 2024 and 2033, but teacher numbers and classes have not always declined as enrolment has fallen. This gives policy makers room to redirect teachers and resources to where shortages bite hardest, protecting access while easing shortages in specific subjects, schools and regions, rather than spreading an already stretched workforce more thinly still.
Mathias Cormann,
OECD Secretary-General