The EU is undergoing a twin digital and green transition, but continues to face significant gaps in ICT specialists and adequate reskilling/upskilling of digital skills for ICT professionals, the entire workforce and the general population.
In this context, Huawei and All Digital worked with the support of EY Advisory, combining the analysis of existing data with original information from primary sources to:
- investigate the key elements of the digital skills gap in the EU
- report on the main challenges facing industry, as well as existing policies and industry responses
- identify possible areas where relevant stakeholders can play a role in the next decade.
The proposed analysis encompasses the EU-27, with a stronger focus on the experiences of four countries: Finland, France, Germany and Italy. After defining the scope of the report, the analysis starts with an attempt to measure skills shortages in the EU. It then looks at the main areas of attention, which are also opportunities for public and private actors to help address digital skills gaps in the EU.
These are the main political discussions that emerged from the report:
Improving and enhancing ICT education and learning opportunities. More and more ICT graduates and professionals are entering the labour market at an increasing pace. However, companies report difficulties in hiring, largely due to a lack of trained professionals with education and training to meet business expectations.
Prioritise talent in companies. Upskilling/reskilling: the number of companies offering reskilling/reskilling opportunities varies across Member States, especially for SMEs.
Women are highly under-represented in ICT and are therefore an important source of untapped talent. The gender imbalance in digital skills is accentuated at higher educational levels, indicating that girls may need additional incentives to develop their digital skills in education.
Boosting collaborative digital skills ecosystems. Despite efforts at EU level, all actors (e.g. education and training providers, industry, national and local administrations, etc.) are convinced that full and effective cooperation is lacking.
Invest in the digitalisation of public services. Research has shown that the digitalisation of public services and procedures is strongly associated with preparing for the uptake and integration of digital learning into the educational ecosystem, highlighting its key role in the digital and green transition.