Closing the talent gap: Priorities for Europe’s skills agenda

Executive summary 

To lead the way in the global tech race, Europe must invest in what matters most: people. Talent is the backbone of innovation, competitiveness and economic security. Yet over half of EU companies today struggle to find ICT specialists – a stark reminder of the digital skills gap holding Europe back.

DIGITALEUROPE welcomes the European Commission’s renewed focus on talent through the Union of Skills and its companion initiatives in the Clean Industrial Deal, the AI Continent Action Plan, and the Start-up and Scale-up Strategy. We believe Europe can close the tech talent gap and achieve 90 percent digital literacy among citizens and businesses by 2030. But if no further actions are taken, the target of 20 million ICT specialists will only be reached by 2051.

For businesses, digital literacy means more than just connectivity – our success in adopting digital tools such as AI, cloud computing and big data will impact Europe’s competitiveness, security and prosperity over the long term. Yet only 13 percent of European businesses use AI and 55 percent use cloud computing.3 Developing the skills for Europe to lead on critical technologies will require coordinated public and private investment, sustained political will and coherent action across education, labour mobility, taxation, industrial policy and talent attraction. 

DIGITALEUROPE recommends: 

• Set up strong governance with industry leadership at the core leveraging DIGITALEUROPE’s skills network. 

• Unlock EU-wide labour mobility with a Digital Skills Passport and EU-recognised microcredentials 

• Open the microcredentials ecosystem to trusted, non-formal providers and industry 

• Modernise digital education and expand ICT access with EU funding 

• Bridge the gap between innovation and market with commercial skills 

• Foster skills to boost Europe’s resilience and competitiveness in critical sectors 

• Make Europe a magnet for global talent with coordinated visas and remote work friendly rules