Survey: 74% of the Finnish technology industry’s skills demand is for higher-education-level skills – 140,000 new professionals needed over the next decade
According to a wide-ranging workforce needs survey conducted by Technology Industries of Finland among its member companies, 74% of companies’ recruitment intentions over the next four years target professionals with higher-education-level skills.
Technology Industries of Finland estimates that the sector will need 140,000 new professionals over the next ten years. This is a significant target, given that the technology industry currently employs around 330,000 people in Finland.
Meeting the skills demand of Finland’s largest export sector is essential for economic growth: an analysis commissioned from ETLA Economic Research indicates that this could strengthen Finland’s GDP by as much as 0.6% per year.
“Companies assess their skills needs as slightly higher than four years ago, when we last asked the same question. This reflects companies’ confidence in growth — and shows that the need for skilled workers is not a temporary, cyclical phenomenon,” says Minna Helle, CEO of Technology Industries of Finland.
For the first time, the workforce needs survey also examined the economic impact of unmet workforce demand. According to ETLA’s analysis, Finland’s GDP would be up to 0.6% higher each year if the technology industry’s workforce demand is met, compared with a scenario in which the sector cannot find the skilled professionals it needs.
“Finland has no alternative but to generate growth. We need these skilled people to accelerate renewal and create innovation,” Helle emphasises.
Demand for higher-education-level skills is rising — but vocational skills remain essential
The survey shows that 74% of the technology industry’s overall skills demand is for higher-education-level skills. This is not only driven by service-oriented branches such as information technology and consulting engineering: even in manufacturing, higher-education-level skills account for 55% of workforce demand.
Roughly half of the need is explained by growth and half by replacing retirees. The pace of retirements among salaried employees in the technology industry will increase in the coming years, further raising the demand for higher-education-level skills.
“The results strongly support our objective to raise the level of educational attainment in Finland. To secure the foundations for growth, as many as 70% of young adults should have higher-education-level skills within 15 years,” says Leena Pöntynen, Director of Skills and Competence at Technology Industries of Finland.
A long-term structural shift is clearly underway: for more than 15 years, growth in the sector’s workforce has been driven specifically by rising numbers of higher-educated professionals. However, Pöntynen stresses that the growing need for higher-education-level skills does not mean vocational skills are becoming less important.
“The number of vocationally trained professionals in the technology industry has remained steady for a long time, and companies still need over 3,600 new vocationally skilled workers every year. But vocational education must be further developed,” Pöntynen says.
According to the survey, more than one in five retiring employees with vocational upper secondary education are replaced by someone with higher-education-level skills, and one in ten roles is not replaced, for example due to automation or robotics.
Failing to meet workforce demand would be costly
“Raising educational attainment and improving work-based immigration are key to meeting the technology industry’s skills demand. A significantly larger share of young people must access higher education, international students need better employment pathways in Finland, and transitions from vocational education to higher education must be clearer,” Pöntynen says.
In the survey, 82% of companies say they are interested in recruiting international talent over the next four years.
“Finland can safeguard its future only by investing in skilled people and competence. This is the best investment we can make — for the competitiveness of companies and for society’s wellbeing,” Helle says.
About the survey
In September 2025, Technology Industries of Finland asked its member companies to estimate how their workforce size will change over the next four years, including both the scale of change and the education/skills profile of future recruitment. Based on these estimates, Technology Industries of Finland produced a forecast of the sector’s annual skills demand and the total demand over ten years, assuming similar trends continue. A total of 451 companies responded, representing about 59% of the workforce of member companies. The survey is conducted every four years.
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