In 2025, employment in the European Union’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector reached 3.4 million people, reflecting continued expansion of the industry across the bloc, according to Eurostat data. The figure marks an increase of 5.1% compared with 2024, when around 3.2 million specialists were employed in ICT-related roles.
Despite this growth, the sector remains heavily male-dominated. Men account for 83.4% of ICT-educated employees in the EU, or roughly 2.8 million people, an increase of 1.3%age points compared with the previous year. Women, while showing long-term growth since 2015, when they numbered around 0.4 million, now represent 0.6 million workers. However, their overall share has declined slightly in the latest reporting period to 16.6%, down from 17.9% in 2024, with a 2.6% annual drop in absolute numbers.
Across member states, gender distribution varies significantly. The highest proportions of male ICT professionals are recorded in the Czech Republic at 92.9%, followed by Slovenia at 89.1%, Latvia at 89%, Lithuania at 88.9%, and Slovakia at 88.4%. On the female side, Denmark leads with 30%, closely followed by Sweden at 29.8% and Romania at 28.6%.
Bulgaria stands out among EU countries, ranking fourth in terms of women’s participation in ICT roles. Women make up 25.6% of ICT-educated employees in the country, placing it ahead of Croatia, which completes the top five with 25.2%.
Educational attainment in the sector also shows strong overall qualification levels. Across the EU, 74.8% of ICT professionals hold a university degree, while the remaining 25.2% have secondary or semi-higher education, including professional bachelor qualifications.
There are notable differences between countries in this regard as well. Denmark leads with 97.7% of ICT workers holding higher education degrees, followed by France at 96.6%, Cyprus at 96.4%, and Ireland at 92.3%. Bulgaria ranks again among the top performers, placing fifth with 91.1% of ICT employees holding university-level education, closely followed by Croatia at 90.9%.
At the lower end of the scale, Italy and Portugal show significantly smaller shares of highly educated ICT workers, with 69.2% and 58.8% respectively, indicating a more mixed educational structure within their technology sectors compared with the EU average. (Novinite)