Could we see more US trade compliance professionals moving to Europe?
- ac52521
- Apr 4
- 1 min read
After writing recently about the US trade compliance market, I’ve been thinking about how the EU market compares.
One key difference: maturity.
The US trade compliance market is far more developed, which means the candidate pool is significantly larger. Even so, demand in the US still exceeds supply for experienced professionals.
In Europe, the challenge is even greater.
Trade compliance functions across many EU companies are still developing, and the talent pool with deep expertise in export controls, sanctions, and strategic compliance programs remains relatively small.
At the same time, we’re seeing a few clear trends across the EU market:
• Increased demand for export controls and sanctions expertise
• More companies building or strengthening centralized EMEA trade compliance teams
• Growing need for professionals who combine regulatory knowledge with operational trade and supply chain experience
• Rising interest in trade automation tools and systems to manage compliance at scale
The result is a widening gap between demand and available talent.
It also raises an interesting question: could we start to see more experienced US trade compliance professionals moving to Europe?
The US market has historically produced a deeper talent pool. With the current divisive political climate in the US, could international opportunities — particularly in Europe — become more attractive for some professionals?
Curious to hear perspectives from others working in trade compliance across both markets.
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