High-technology sectors are considered key drivers of economic growth and productivity and often provide well-paid employment opportunities. In 2022, there were 9.8 million people employed in high-technology sectors across the EU, corresponding to 4.9% of the EU’s total employment. The gender representation in this sector sees men accounting for just over two-thirds (67.2%) of the total.
At the regional level (NUTS 2 regions), the French (Ile-de-France) and Spanish (Comunidad de Madrid) capital regions registered the highest number of people employed in high-technology sectors, 420,000 and 289,000, respectively. They were followed by three regions, which recorded more than 200 000 persons employed in high-technology sectors: Oberbayern in southern Germany, Lombardia in northern Italy and Cataluña in eastern Spain.
At the bottom end of the distribution, there were 5 regions with less than 3 000 persons employed in high-technology sectors: the southern Italian region of Molise, together with four Greek regions – Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki, Peloponnisos, Ipeiros, and Sterea Elláda.
Women accounted for almost one-third (32.8%) of the total number of people employed in the EU’s high-technology sectors in 2022.
The share of women in high-technology employment across NUTS 2 regions, ranged from a high of 50.2% in the Hungarian region of Nyugat-Dunántúl down to 8.3% in the Greek region of Thessalia. In fact, Nyugat-Dunántúl was the only region in the EU (at this level of detail) where there were more women than men employed in high-technology sectors. The next highest shares of female employment were recorded in the Italian region of Marche (48.6%) and another Hungarian region, Észak-Magyarország (48.1%).
Source dataset: htec_emp_reg2
Would you like to know more about education and training in the EU?
You can read more in the dedicated section of the Regions in Europe – 2023 interactive edition and in the dedicated chapter in the Eurostat regional yearbook – 2023 edition, also available as a Statistics Explained article. The corresponding maps in the Statistical Atlas provide a full-screen interactive map.
More information
- Thematic section on science, technology and innovation
- Database on science, technology and innovation
- Thematic section on regions
- Database on regional statistics by NUTS classification
Methodological notes
- High-technology sectors are defined here as high-technology manufacturing sectors (the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations; the manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products) and knowledge-intensive high-technology services (motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities; programming and broadcasting activities; telecommunications; computer programming, consultancy and related activities; information service activities; scientific research and development). The distinction between manufacturing and services is made due to the existence of two different methodologies.
- The statistics presented on employment in high-technology sectors cover all people (including support staff) who work in these enterprises, and as such will overstate the number of highly qualified workers.
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