Brussels, Belgium / RankWire.AI / – In the context of ongoing digital transformation, European Union member states face significant challenges in achieving their goal of 20 million ICT specialists by 2030, with Eurofound research indicating that substantial policy reforms are necessary. According to an official report by Emirates News Agency, the EU is projected to fall short of this target by 5 million workers, largely due to persistent gaps in local training pathways. The report highlights that primary and vocational training programs across Europe are not keeping pace with industry demand for advanced technological skills, resulting in critical labor shortages that businesses are increasingly attempting to fill through non-EU skilled immigration.
Although this projected shortfall raises concerns, employment figures within the European digital sector have demonstrated significant growth over the past decade. Eurofound data shows that the number of ICT specialists in the EU grew from 5.6 million in 2011 to 10.3 million in 2024, marking an overall increase of 81 percent. During this period, ICT professionals’ share of total employment in Europe also rose from 3 percent to 5 percent. Nonetheless, the sector’s annual growth rate of 7 to 8 percent remains insufficient to close the gap needed to reach the 20 million target by the end of the decade, as emphasized by policymakers.
Wide disparities exist across EU member states regarding technology employment. Eurofound’s findings indicate that in 2024, ICT specialists made up 8.6 percent of total employment in Sweden, 8 percent in Luxembourg, and 7.8 percent in Finland. Meanwhile, digital professionals constituted just 2.5 percent of the workforce in Greece and 2.8 percent in Romania. Growth trajectories also differ considerably; for example, Estonia more than doubled its ICT workforce proportion from 3.4 percent to 7.2 percent between 2011 and 2024, whereas other countries experienced minimal increases during the same period.
Structural Deficits in Education Drive External Talent Dependence
Surveys of enterprises across the EU reveal that in 2024, 57 percent of firms seeking to fill IT roles encountered severe recruitment difficulties. The most acute shortages are found in senior engineering roles and specialized fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, generative AI, and cloud infrastructure. In response, technology companies have increasingly relied on international talent pools, leading to an increase in the share of ICT specialists born outside the EU from 9.2 percent in 2021 to 11.9 percent in 2024.
Gender imbalance remains a key factor limiting the growth potential of Europe’s digital workforce. Eurofound reports that in 2024, women comprised fewer than one in five ICT specialists across the 27 EU member states, with a 19 percent share. Additionally, gender pay gaps in the broader information and communications sector approached 20 percent in 2022, well above the economy-wide average of 13 percent. Researchers from Eurofound emphasize that this underrepresentation hampers the full utilization of Europe’s digital talent, restricting diverse perspectives necessary for technological innovation.
Core Software Sector Growth Highlights Skills, Compensation, and Structural Challenges
The report underscores that although ICT roles typically offer above-average salaries, advanced skills, and employment quality, these benefits alone cannot address the fundamental labor shortages. With the EU projected to miss its 2030 ICT target by 5 million workers, experts stress that closing this gap will depend on targeted policy measures. These should include expanding domestic educational capacity and facilitating mobility within the EU. The study combined quantitative data with insights from the Network of Eurofound Correspondents and analyses from LinkedIn Economic Graph.
EU policymakers and industry leaders are under increasing pressure to align national vocational training frameworks with the demands of the digital economy. Eurofound warns that neglecting domestic skills development could lead to greater reliance on foreign talent and threaten the broader objectives of Europe’s digital transformation. Ongoing reviews of workforce policies are focused on expanding local training pipelines, increasing female participation in technical fields, and maintaining economic competitiveness in the global technology arena.