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The IT skills gap - a report on the Swedish digital sector's need for excellence

Skills supply

The pervasive digitization taking place in Sweden and globally has made the digital sector the strongest growth force in the economy. Now, the sector's continued development is threatened by a lack of cutting-edge skills. A shortage of around 70 000 people with IT or digitally related skills is feared by 2022.

This report, initiated by the IT&Telecom Companies' IT Skills Council, is our third survey of the skills shortage in the digital sector (formerly known as the IT sector). It shows that the challenges reported in 2012 and 2015 remain in 2017. Identifying and promoting the implementation of measures to address them therefore remains a high priority for our member companies.

Executive summary

The pervasive digitalization taking place in Sweden and globally has made the IT and telecom sector one of the main drivers of employment and economic growth.

  • IT consulting, programming and related activities now account for the largest share of the total value added of business services in Sweden's export production.
  • The main obstacle to the continued growth of the digital sector is the lack of excellence in IT, telecoms and other forms of digitalization. A shortage in the order of 70 000 people is feared by 2022 unless special efforts are made.
  • The shortage is found in most areas of expertise, but in terms of the number of people working, programming and system architecture dominate. Groups that are fewer in number today but where the need is growing strongly are qualified data analysis and IT/information security.

Our proposals for action

To address the skills gap, the IT&Telecom industry recommends a number of short- and long-term measures, divided into four areas. The proposals are described in more detail in the report.

  1. Stronger overall investment in digitalization
    1. Skills development for policy makers
    2. Strengthen coordination between ministries
    3. Streamlining inter-agency cooperation
  1. Investing in education, youth and career choices
    1. Resources for the digitalization of the school system
    2. Reforming teacher education
    3. Engaging more closely with the world of work
  1. Investing in higher education and career-long learning
    1. Set up a training commission
    2. Skills training for higher education students
    3. Rewarding high quality higher education
  1. Promoting migration and integration
    1. National strategy for talent attraction
    2. At least 10,000 more top international students