Nearly 8 million persons in the EU were employed in 2015 as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) specialists, representing 3.5% of total employment. Over recent years, both the number and the share have increased with almost one and a half million additional ICT specialists employed in the EU in five years, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

The data shows that 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 employment highest in Finland and Sweden and the lowest in Greece. In 2015, ICT specialists in the EU were mainly employed in the United Kingdom (1.54 million persons), Germany (1.47 million) and France (0.95 million). These three Member States accounted for slightly more than half of all ICT specialists employed in the EU in 2015. In relative terms, the highest shares in 2015 of ICT specialists in total employment were recorded in Finland (6.5%) and Sweden (6.1%), followed by the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (both 5.0%), Luxembourg (4.6%) and Estonia (4.4%).

At the opposite end of the scale, Greece (1.2%), Romania (1.9%), Lithuania (2.1%), Cyprus and Latvia (both 2.2%), Bulgaria and Portugal (both 2.3%), Spain (2.4%) and Italy (2.5%) 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 2015, notably in Germany, France, Estonia, Hungary, Portugal and Finland. At EU level, the number of ICT specialists rose by almost 1.5 million persons between 2011 and 2015, and their share in total employment grew from 3.0% to 3.5%.

This profession continues to be largely made up of men, accounting in 2015 for more than 8 out of 10 ICT specialists employed in the EU (83.9%). It also employed mainly highly educated people, with 6 ICT specialists out of 10 (60.5%) employed in the EU having tertiary level education.

Education levels of across three countries in Europe are reported by Staffing industry Analysts at:

http://cwstrategies.staffingindustry.com/benchmarks-varying-education-levels-in-europe/

Further country detail is available in SIA’s Quarterly Europe Employment (EUROSTAT) Reports:

http://www2.staffingindustry.com/eng_member/Research/Research-Topics-Reports/Europe/Quarterly-Europe-Employment-Eurostat-Report-2016-Q1