Europe is expected to fall five million jobs short of its 2030 target for digital specialists, with the European Union struggling to build the workforce needed to support its technology ambitions, according to new research from EU agency Eurofound.
The European Digital Decade target aims to increase the number of information and communications technology (ICT) specialists working across the EU to 20 million by 2030. However, Eurofound’s latest report found that education systems and vocational training programs are not producing enough skilled workers to meet current and future demand in most member states.
As domestic talent shortages continue, companies across Europe are increasingly relying on workers recruited from outside the EU to fill technology roles.
The report highlighted Ireland as one of the countries that has experienced strong growth in ICT employment. The share of workers employed in the sector increased from 4.7 percent of total employment in 2011 to 6.3 percent in 2024, placing Ireland above the EU average of 5 percent.
Despite this growth, Ireland has a slightly lower share of younger ICT workers compared with the wider European market. In 2024, 37.2 percent of ICT specialists across the EU were aged 35 or younger, while the figure in Ireland stood at 34.4 percent.
Across the EU, the number of ICT specialists has expanded significantly over the past decade. The proportion of ICT workers rose from 3 percent of total employment in 2011 to 5 percent in 2024. During the same period, the total number of ICT specialists increased from 5.6 million to 10.3 million, representing an 81 percent rise.
Despite the growth, Eurofound warned that the sector continues to face major challenges, particularly around gender representation. Women accounted for fewer than one in five ICT specialists in 2024, leaving a large portion of the potential workforce untapped.
The agency also highlighted pay inequality in the broader technology sector. The gender pay gap stood at nearly 20 percent in 2022, significantly higher than the overall economy-wide average of 13 percent.
Eurofound said addressing the shortage will require stronger policies focused on developing local talent and improving access to technology careers rather than changing job conditions. The agency noted that ICT roles already offer above-average salaries and working environments compared with many other sectors.
“The research highlights that addressing these shortages requires targeted policy intervention focused on domestic talent supply and mobility rather than job quality adjustments, as IT roles already feature above-average pay and working conditions,” Eurofound said.
The agency added that increasing women’s participation in technology careers is an economic priority, warning that failing to attract more women means Europe is using less than its full potential talent pool.
Based in Dublin, Eurofound provides research and advice on employment conditions, labour market changes and industrial relations across the European Union.
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