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May 2024
A recent survey by Digital Hub Denmark and HBS Economics shows that Denmark has made progress in increasing its pool of female digital talent over the past decade. As of 2023, there are 61,057 female digital talents in Denmark, a substantial increase from just under 35,000 in 2011.
However, the percentage of women in the digital talent pool has only seen modest increases. Women made up 28% of digital talents in 2011 and 30% in 2023. If current trends continue, the survey shows that women will make up 32% of digital talent by 2030, missing the EU Commission's target of equal gender representation among 20 million IT specialists across Europe by the end of the Digital Decade.
Denmark aims to have at least 220,000 IT specialists by 2030, a nearly 29% increase from today. But with the proportion of female IT specialists stagnating between 23-30%, we need stronger initiatives to achieve gender parity in the digital workforce.
Female digital talents make up about 30% of Denmark's digital talent pool, which includes both Danish nationals and foreign professionals. However, only 17% of this group are foreigners, while 83% are Danish. This indicates that Denmark has untapped potential to attract more international talent to strengthen its digital workforce.
The influx of female digital talent into Denmark has grown significantly in recent years, with 950 female digital talents arriving in 2022, the highest number since 2011. In 2023, Denmark experienced a net inflow of about 450 female digital talents, indicating a positive trend in attracting and retaining female professionals in the digital sector. This net inflow is a crucial factor in addressing gender disparities in the tech industry and enhancing the diversity of the digital talent pool.
"It is no secret that Danish digital companies have an urgent need for labour. We need to focus on both retaining and attracting foreign digital talent, and several players have pointed to a national strategy as a good starting point for that work," says Nicolaj Christensen, CEO of Digital Hub Denmark.
Female digital specialists from abroad stay longer in the country than males
The survey reveals that female digital specialists from abroad tend to stay in Denmark longer than their male counterparts. About 57% of female foreign talents remain in the country for at least five years, which is 10 percentage points higher than men.
“The study shows that retaining female digital talent helps ensure more IT specialists and at the same time strengthens diversity – and this is important. We only have a competitive business life if all talents are at stake – and when women have equal opportunities to develop and advance in the digital field. If we only focus on one half – the men – then it goes without saying that we risk missing out on talent, growth and prosperity. It's about removing the expectations and cultural norms that can limit what you can do as a woman or a man. Everyone must have the opportunity to participate in developing our future solutions,” says Marie Bjerre, Minister for Digital Government and Gender Equality.
Digital Hub Denmark will continue to work to promote this agenda and ensure that Denmark can attract and retain the necessary female digital talent to meet the challenges of the future and achieve our ambitious 2030 goals.
→ Read the full survey in Danish here and in English here.
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