Despite the rapid growth of ICT as an employment sector (the number of ICT specialists in the EU increased by 57.8 % from 2012 to 2022, ICT specialists in employment), women remain significantly under-represented, constituting only 21% of ICT graduates and less than 19% of ICT specialists.
The Digital Decade Policy Programme (DDPP) aims to change this, with the target of employing at least 20 million ICT specialists in the EU by 2030 while promoting women’s access to the sector.
The ‘Women in Digital’ high-level meeting discussed how we can progress towards the DDPP target, to meet the skills shortage, improve Europe’s innovation and competitiveness, and ensure that the digital landscape is more equitable and inclusive.
Success stories included young EU Code Week hackathon winners, while panels on digital education and skills and digital entrepreneurship and careers brought together politicians, experts and practitioners from across the EU.