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ICT usage in enterprises, 2020

Large enterprises have difficulties in recruiting ICT specialists

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2020-11-24 9.30

The percentage of enterprises that experienced difficulties in recruiting ICT specialists was larger among large enterprises. Small and medium enterprises experienced difficulties to a lesser extent.

Large enterprises with 250 employees or more found that applicants lacked various types of qualifications needed for the recruitment. Among large enterprises, 21 percent considered that applicants lacked relevant ICT-related qualifications from their education and 22 percent stated that applicants lacked relevant work experience, while 23 percent experienced difficulties in recruiting ICT specialists due to a lack of applications.

The corresponding figures among medium-sized enterprises with 50 to 249 employees show that 6 percent noted that applicants had inadequate ICT-related qualifications from their education, 6 percent found that applicants lacked work experience, while 6 percent stated that there was a lack of applications.

Among small enterprises, 2 percent experienced difficulties in recruiting ICT specialists because the applicants lacked relevant ICT-related qualifications from their education, while 3 percent found that applicants lacked work experience or that recruitment was difficult due to a lack of applications.

Enterprises also experienced difficulties in recruiting due to applicants’ excessive salary expectations. Among large enterprises, this figure was 16 percent, while among small and medium-sized enterprises, the corresponding proportion was 4 percent and 2 percent respectively.

In a comparison between industries, the proportion that experienced difficulties in recruiting ICT specialists was largest in information and communication activities (NACE 58-63).

In 2019, the proportion of enterprises that experienced difficulties in recruiting ICT specialists was lowest in construction (NACE 41-43), although the proportion in this industry that recruited or attempted to recruit ICT specialists was also very low, 1 percent.

Definitions and explanations

  • In this survey, ICT specialists are defined as persons who are employed at the enterprise or employed by enterprises in the group, franchise or chain of enterprises that the surveyed enterprise belongs to and whose working duties include software support, operation and maintenance of ICT systems, applications, the development of ICT systems and applications, websites, and more, provided that ICT is the employee’s main working duty.

Examples of occupational groups 

The examples were retrieved from the Swedish Standard Classification of Occupations (SSYK). 

-       Software, web or systems developer

-       Engineering professionals in e.g. information technology, computer technology, hardware, electronics

-       Support technician, ICT 

-       Computer technician

-       Network technician

-       Systems technician, ICT

-       Operations technician, computers

-       Person responsible for ICT 

-       Service technician, computers

-       Computer repairer

-       Graphic designer

-       Interactive designer

-       ICT educator

-       Network or database administrator

-       Technical salesperson in ICT

  • This statistical news release presents enterprises with 10 employees or more, and enterprises with 0 to 9 employees. The documentation on the production of the statistics (Staf) with further information on the statistics and results for additional study domains can be retrieved from the Statistical Database on Statistics Sweden’s website.
  • The statistics are based on the ICT Usage in enterprises survey and forms part of Sweden’s official statistics, carried out on behalf of Eurostat.
  • The population consists of enterprises with 0-9 employees, and 10 or more employees with operations under NACE 2007, in manufacturing (C), supply of electricity, gas, heat and cooling (D), water supply (E), construction (F), trade;  repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (G), transport and storage (H), accommodation and food service activities (I), information and communication (J), real estate activities (L), business services (M), rental, real estate services, travel services and other support services (N), and other service activities (S).
  • The regional estimates are reported by national area according to NUTS 2 (pdf).

Next publishing will be

2020-11-24 09:30.

Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.

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Statistics Sweden, Innovation, Business sector production and Research section

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