Europe on the hunt for engineers: demand for technical skills grows, Italy remains a talent pool

The European race for engineering and Information Technology talent is entering a new phase. The energy transition, industrial digitalization, and the infrastructure of the future are fueling increasingly high demand for advanced technical skills, which are difficult to find and even harder to retain. This scenario is outlined in an analysis by agap2 Italia, a multinational operational consulting firm specializing in engineering and IT. The company examined the main European markets, highlighting how each country is addressing the shortage of professionals with different needs and strategies, within an increasingly competitive employment landscape.

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Italy: professionals are needed who can bridge industry and digital

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In the Italian market, demand is growing for professionals able to combine engineering and digital skills. Manufacturing companies, the backbone of the national economy, are looking for management engineers, automation experts, and professionals capable of acting as a link between production and IT systems. Rather than a shortage of basic skills, what emerges is the difficulty of finding profiles able to operate in multidisciplinary contexts and support companies in their technological transformation.

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From France to Switzerland, each market follows different priorities

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The search for skills varies significantly from country to country. In France, major investments in the aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors are supporting stable demand for process engineers, structural engineers, and embedded systems specialists, while the technology sector is focusing on cloud and software integration. In Switzerland, on the other hand, climate neutrality goals are driving demand for experts in renewable energy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, with strong recognition given to high-level technical specialization.

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The Iberian Peninsula is growing, between renewables and innovation

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Spain and Portugal are also experiencing a phase of strong acceleration. Investments in sustainable infrastructure and the energy transition are creating new opportunities for engineers and IT professionals, while the digitalization of the production fabric continues to drive demand for specialist skills. Lisbon, in particular, has established itself as one of Europe’s leading innovation hubs, thanks to the development of its startup ecosystem and international research centers.

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Italian education remains a competitive advantage

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According to Alessandro Rosati, CEO of agap2 Italia, the growing demand for technical skills is not uniform, because each European market has different priorities and different paces of transformation. In this scenario, however, Italy can rely on an important strength: the technical education provided by Italian universities, which is recognized across Europe for the solidity of its engineering foundations and its ability to prepare versatile professionals who can tackle complex contexts and build career paths abroad as well. The picture outlined confirms that the European labor market is becoming increasingly selective. For companies, the challenge is to attract and retain qualified skills, while for engineers and IT specialists, new opportunities are opening up in a context where specialization, continuous learning, and adaptability represent the main competitive factors.

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