This past March, Barcelona once again became the epicenter of technological innovation with one of the year’s major events: the Mobile World Congress. The event brought together over 100,000 attendees, 2,900 exhibiting companies, and high expectations for the new applications of artificial intelligence. It’s a reflection of how fast technology is evolving—perhaps too fast to attract all the talent needed to keep up.
The shortage of digital talent is one of the major challenges facing the tech sector. According to the report Anatomy of the Technological Talent Gap by DigitalES, the Spanish Association for Digitalization, there was an unprecedented mismatch between available talent and job demand when the pandemic accelerated digitalization, multiplying tech job vacancies tenfold between 2019 and 2022. In fact, in 2020, the report states that 15% of large Spanish companies had difficulty finding specialists.
We are therefore facing a significant challenge, as this lack of tech talent affects economic growth and a country’s competitiveness. Despite initiatives like the Digital Agenda 2025, which aims to boost technology training (with a goal of 20,000 new specialists in cybersecurity, AI, and Data by 2025), and a gradual increase in the percentage of ICT specialists, the reality in 2023 was that only 4.2% of workers in Spain were ICT specialists—below the European average of 4.8%.
It is estimated that Spain still faces a shortfall of 1.39 million ICT specialists in order to meet the objectives of Europe’s Digital Decade, the EU strategy to accelerate the continent’s digital transformation by 2030, which aims to reach a total of 20 million ICT specialists across Europe.
Inspiring Vocations and Guiding Careers Toward the Job Market
What can be done in a scenario where there are not enough jobseekers with the training and technical skills that the tech labor market demands? The key lies in strengthening education and aligning it more closely with market needs.
The DigitalES study clearly highlights the need to improve career guidance and especially promote gender diversity in STEM education—considering that only 30% of ICT workers are women.
Another strategic avenue to boost the synergy between education and business is to promote participation in Dual Vocational Training programs, which connect young talent with real-world business environments. In Spain, only 4% of such training is dual, compared to 38% in Europe. Additionally, one of the recommendations from the DigitalES study is to introduce mandatory activities in secondary and high school education focused on providing practical work experiences, with the goal of sparking interest in technology early on.
It’s worth noting that, while the current talent shortage requires urgent action at the vocational and university level, fostering interest in ICT from primary education would be a smart long-term move to secure digital talent for the future.
At Barcelona Cable Landing Station, AFR-IX telecom and Medusa Submarine Cable System we believe in building bridges between the education sector and the business world. That’s why we’ve opened our doors to students in Intermediate and Advanced Vocational Training programs so they can complete internships with us and discover whether they want to build a career in this field.
Beyond talent attraction, we must also keep in mind the importance of retaining that talent. We cannot forget that the “brain drain” is a real threat—one that can only be addressed with a solid retention strategy that includes not only competitive salaries but also “emotional compensation.” This means creating a work environment that values flexibility, supports work-life balance, and cultivates workplace wellbeing—all of which are highly appreciated by younger professionals.
By Carmen de la Cueva, Head of Human Resources at Barcelona Cable Landing Station, AFR-IX telecom company
