ICT Technicians in EU – 1.9 million employees (2017), 46% in ICT services and 54% in rest of economy

ICT technicians support the design, development, installation, operation, testing, and problem-solving of hardware and software. This mid-level occupation is predominantly male; women represent only 17% of its employment.
Some 1.9 million people were working as ICT technicians in the EU in 2017, 200 000 more than in 2006. Demand growth has slowed, though. Advancements in arti cial intelligence, cloud-based services and mobile devices have polarised demand for ICT skills. The demand for ICT specialists has intensi ed but fewer technicians are needed as even very sophisticated ICT tools can be now mastered by people with only user-level skills.

This might explain why future job growth of ICT technicians is forecast to be quite modest: 5% between 2018 and 2030. Across Europe, Cedefop is already recording more than six online job vacancies for ICT professionals for every one ICT technician.

Between 2018 and 2030 about 670 000 jobs are expected to become available for ICT technicians, but this is mostly due to the need to replace workers leaving the labour market.

Ten EU Member States are expected to experience signi cant growth in ICT technician jobs in the future but in six countries this occupation is projected to experience a significant decline.

On top of their technical skills, ICT technicians must meet employer demand for a mix of transversal skills, including adaptability and teamwork. This is shown by online job vacancies collected by Cedefop.