Cyprus recorded one of the fastest growth rates for ICT employment in the European Union over the past decade, with the number of ICT specialists rising by an average of 9.2 per cent annually between 2014 and 2024, according to Eurostat.  

In particular, the increase was especially strong among women, where employment grew at 13.7 per cent per year, placing Cyprus among the bloc’s top performers. 

Across the EU, more than 10 million people worked as ICT specialists in 2024, accounting for 5.0 per cent of all employed people.  

This marked an increase of 1.6 percentage points since 2014, highlighting the growing importance of the digital economy. Nevertheless, the figure remains well below the EU’s Digital Decade target of 20 million ICT specialists by 2030. 

When looking at national figures, Sweden recorded the highest share of ICT specialists in total employment at 8.6 per cent, followed by Luxembourg at 8 per cent, Finland at 7.8 per cent and the Netherlands at 7 per cent.  

Moreover, Ireland and Denmark also reported shares above 6.5 per cent, standing well above the EU average. 

 By contrast, Greece and Romania had the lowest shares at 2.5 and 2.8 per cent respectively, while Poland, Slovakia and Hungary also reported less than 4 per cent. Italy stood slightly higher at 4 per cent.  

Meanwhile, Cyprus, at 3.2 per cent, remained below the EU average but demonstrated stronger growth than many larger economies. 

The ICT workforce in Cyprus is notably younger than the EU average. In 2024, 41.9 per cent of ICT specialists in Cyprus were aged between 15 and 34, compared to 37.2 per cent for the EU as a whole. 

Similarly, countries such as Estonia, Portugal and Latvia also recorded high proportions of younger ICT specialists.  

In contrast, Slovakia and Romania reported the largest increases in workers aged 35 and above over the past decade.  

At the same time, Cyprus maintained high education levels, with over 80 per cent of its ICT workforce holding higher educational degrees, placing it alongside Ireland, Spain, France and Belgium. 

While men continue to dominate the sector, the gender gap has narrowed slightly. Across the EU, women accounted for 19.5 per cent of ICT roles in 2024, up from 16.2 per cent in 2014.  

Notably, the lowest female participation rates were seen in Czechia at 13 per cent, Malta at 14.7 per cent and Hungary at 15.2 per cent.  

By contrast, Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria reported the highest shares of women in ICT roles, all above 27 per cent. Cyprus raised the proportion of female ICT specialists by 8.1 percentage points over the decade, recording the second largest gain in the EU after Estonia. 

Across industries, ICT specialists in the EU were most heavily concentrated in the information and communication sector, where they made up 60.6 per cent of all employment in that area.  

In addition, significant concentrations were found in finance and insurance (8.3 per cent), professional, scientific and technical activities (8.1 per cent), electricity, gas and utilities (7.7 per cent), extraterritorial organisations (6.4 per cent) and manufacturing (4.3 per cent).  

Between 2014 and 2024, the share of ICT specialists increased in eight out of nine major economic sectors. In particular, the information and communication sector alone saw a rise of 9.9 percentage points.  

Furthermore, financial services and utilities also recorded annual growth of around 6 per cent.