A recent speech delivered by José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission stated how studies have shown that ICT-related occupations are much more resistant to crisis than most other jobs.

This clearly means that e-skills are definitely key in reducing the risk of unemployment. More and better qualified ICT practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, managers and users are needed and will increasingly be needed.

The stark reality, exposed by the latest study, is that Europe faces up to 900,000 unfilled ICT jobs.

When the number of digital jobs is growing by 3% each year – even during the crisis – the number of new ICT graduates and other ICT workers is shrinking.

The conclusion to be drawn from such a paradoxical situation is clear: there is a pressing and crucial need to address the shortage of job seekers with critical skills, as well as the growing gaps and mismatches between the supply and the demand of specific e-skills.