Can Europe see its own talent?
This is the third episode of Europe has skills. The series is not political. It does not take sides, and it is not here to criticise Europe. It is about applying common sense. Nothing more, nothing less.
The official story
Europe says it needs millions of digital professionals: software engineers, cybersecurity experts, AI specialists, cloud architects, data scientists. The list is long. Europe has set a big target of 20 million ICT professionals by 2030.
At the same time, businesses say they struggle to hire. So the question is not whether Europe has talent. The question is: can Europe actually see it?
How many ICT graduates does Europe produce each year?
Is that number going up or down?
When a company says it cannot find talent, does it mean in its own country, or in the whole of Europe?
A small example: Belgium
Let's take a small or medium-sized company (an SME) in Belgium, in Wallonia or in Flanders. SMEs are among the companies most affected by these shortages, and many of them work locally rather than internationally.
When this company looks for an ICT professional, where does it search? Where does it post the job, and in which language?
Probably in French, Dutch or English, on its own website, because it wants to hire in Belgium. The job is unlikely to appear in Italian, Portuguese or Spanish.
27 countries, many languages
This is not only a Belgian story. Europe has 27 countries, and they have their own languages. English could be the common one, but in practice:
Polish companies often publish their jobs in Polish.
Bulgarian companies often publish in Bulgarian.
French companies often publish in French.
That is simply how things are done. So when a company says it cannot find talent, my gentle challenge is this: you may find it if you look a little beyond your own market.
Looking outside Europe
Europe is also creating a new platform, going live soon, where companies can hire from countries outside the EU. The European Commission's message is that it is voluntary: if you struggle to find talent in Europe, you are free to hire from outside.
There is a lot to say about that. But before hiring outside Europe, I believe we first need to understand what Europe already has. Today, this episode is only questions. If someone has the answers, we would love to hear them.
What do you think? Has Europe fully mapped its own digital talent before looking elsewhere? Share your view in the comments under the video.
Your next step
VirtualMasst is a European platform for freelancers, and we want to bring more ICT and STEM professionals into view. If you are one of them, register and get known by companies across Europe. Join as a talent
If you are an SME looking for digital skills, start by looking across Europe. VirtualMasst for SMEs
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