1 million Swedes want to work in IT

A new survey by Sifo shows that 1 million Swedes want to work in IT-related professions – despite the acute shortage!

41 percent of the Swedes are also prepared to educate themselves for more than a year to do the job. Today, there is a shortage of 70,000 people in the IT industry.

The survey, which was commissioned by Sigma IT, is based on 2001 interviews with Swedes between the ages of 18 and 75, spread across the country. The questions relate to IT&Tech and are about the Swedes' attitudes to the labour market, education and technical readiness/maturity.

– 1 million Swedes want to work in IT! It’s a huge resource that allows Sweden to cope with the extreme international competition from countries such as Estonia, Finland, Singapore, India and China. If we act now. A special tech capital is needed for the 969,000 people who want tochange profession and enter the IT industry. Otherwise, we risk our future well-being, says Lars Kry, CEO at Sigma IT.

The results have been compiled in the report "Tomorrow Report" where several known preface writers are found. Hélène Barnekow, CEO of Microsoft Sweden, Stefan Bengtsson, Rector of Chalmers University of Technology, Angelica Hedin Swedish Head of Bonnier Education, Åsa Zetterberg, Associate Director of IT & Telecom Companies, and Eric Ljunggren, Head of Communications at Norrsken, are some of the writers giving their view related to the Swedes' attitude to IT and technology.

Labor market

• 969,000 Swedes would consider working with IT-related professions.
• Shortage of 70 000 peopleaccording to the industry until 2022.
• 8% of the Swedes consider themselves working in IT today, 13% men and 3% women.
• 17% want to work in IT in the future, 23% men and 11% women.
• 4 times as many women want to work in IT compared to today's number.
• In 2051, the Swedes believe that all manual jobs are replaced by machines.

Education

• 397,000 people want to educate themselves for more than a year.
• 47% men and 27% women consider more than a year's education.
• 33% would like to study for up to one year, 29% men and 43% women.

IT maturity

• 77% of the Swedes believe that IT will create a better world.
• 52% believe they have good knowledge in IT.
• 56% believe they understand the benefits of digitization.
• 39% want self-driving cars, 51% men, 29% women.
• 20% of Swedish men want robotic police, only 8% of women.

Fears

• 30% feel that IT is creating an alienation and dividing society.
• Every fourth Swede thinks that the ethical aspect is forgotten.

Read the full Tomorrow Report (in Swedish) at sigmait.se/tomorrow_report

For more information:

Beatrice Silow
Director Communications and Culture Director, Sigma IT
beatrice.silow@sigma.se
+46 703 79 1506

Jennie Sinclair
Press contact
jennie.sinclair@techposition.se