15/2016 - 21 January 2016
ICT specialists
Almost 8 million ICT specialists employed in the EU in 2014 More than 80% are men In the European Union (EU), nearly 8 million persons were employed in 2014 as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists, representing 3.7% of total employment. Over recent years, both the number and the share of ICT specialists in total employment have continuously increased to better adapt to an ever digitalised world. However, almost 40% of enterprises with at least 10 persons employed which recruited or tried to recruit personnel for jobs requiring ICT specialist skills had hard-to-fill vacancies in 2014. This profession is largely made up of men, accounting in 2014 for more than 8 ICT specialists out of 10 employed in the EU (81.9%). It also employed mainly highly educated people, with more than half (56.5%) of ICT specialists in the EU having a tertiary education level. These data come from a report issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, and are used for several EU policies, in particular the Digital Agenda for Europe. The uptake of new information and communication technologies has been a significant driver of changes to both production methods and employment patterns. In light of the competitiveness of the European economy and EU employment strategies, policymakers and researchers feel a natural interest in the employment of ICT professionals, a small but strategically important segment of employment.
Share of ICT specialists in the EU Member States, 2014 (as % of total employment) 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Share of ICT specialists in employment highest in Finland, lowest in Greece In 2014, ICT specialists in the EU were mainly employed in the United Kingdom (1.49 million persons), Germany (1.47 million) and France (0.91 million). These three Member States accounted for almost half of all ICT specialists employed in the EU in 2014. In relative terms, the highest shares in 2014 of ICT specialists in total employment were recorded in Finland (6.7%) and Sweden (6.0%), followed by Luxembourg (5.1%), Estonia and the Netherlands (both 5.0%). At the opposite end of the scale, Greece (1.3%), Bulgaria and Lithuania (both 1.9%) and Latvia (2.0%) registered the lowest proportions. Compared with 2011, both the absolute number and the share of ICT specialists in total employment increased in nearly all Member States by 2014, notably in Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Finland, France and Luxembourg. At EU level, the number of ICT specialists rose by almost 1.2 million persons between 2011 and 2014, and their share in total employment grew from 3.2% to 3.7%.
ICT specialists in the EU Member States, 2011 and 2014 In 1000 persons 2011 EU
As percentage of total employment (%) 2014
2011
2014
6 847.9
7 997.0
3.2
3.7
Belgium
159.4
199.7
3.5
4.4
Bulgaria
54.2
56.1
1.8
1.9
192.0
205.1
3.9
4.1
Denmark
99.5
104.8
3.7
3.9
Germany
1 002.8
1 469.6
2.6
3.7
Estonia
28.3
30.9
4.7
5.0
Ireland
82.5
88.5
4.5
4.6
Czech Republic
50.7
46.2
1.3
1.3
Spain
489.9
535.6
2.7
3.1
France
720.2
914.0
2.8
3.5
41.7
44.7
2.6
2.9
526.0
558.5
2.3
2.5
Greece
Croatia Italy Cyprus
8.0
