Greece is one of the countries of the European Union, where women have managed to break the glass ceiling of the field of technology and ICT. Data from Εurostat shows that women in Greece accounted for more than one quarter of the employed ICT specialists. Greek women working in ICT, who have a background in technology, have the second highest percentage compared to men in the EU (29,4%). 

Closing the gender gap in Greece: making way for female talent

This is good news for women in Greece: and the 2022 edition of DESI, the European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index (which tracks the digital progress of EU Member States across key indicators, including digital skills) also highlights Greece’s improved ability to support skills development in key areas like education and business.  

The DESI sub-indicator for Greece for female ICT specialists shows the percentage of female ICT experts (21%) is above the EU average (19%). The case is similar when we look at basic digital skills: the Gender Equality Index for 2020 for Greece highlights another aspect: that within the age group of 25 to 29 years, women are more digitally-savvy compared to men, with 46% versus 37%. 

A wide range of initiatives and policy measures have been launched to address the gender gap within the ICT sector, raise the digital skills of girls, women (and young people in general) and ensure that women can access digital jobs and upskilling opportunities. Activities also aim to contribute to the EU Digital Decade targets of 20 million ICT specialists and 80% of people with basic digital skills by 2030.

Making digital jobs attractive and accessible for young people

Digital jobs are growing, and that’s not all. With digitalisation transforming key sectors in Greece, employment is booming. According to the Education & Training Monitor between 2016 and 2021, the share of Greek labour force with an ICT education in employment rose by 10.9 points, or 80.5% – the second highest percentage in Europe. 

“And if we zoom into the age group of 16 – 24 years, Greece is among the frontrunners: with 88% of young people with at least basic digital skills – much higher than the EU average (71%)”. 

Despite this data, challenges ahead remain. According to the Annual Report on the Quality of Higher Education (which tracks higher education’s progress in Greece), Greek students were less likely to go into ICT, tech, or STEM-related fields, but rather opted for social scienced and humanities (lower than the EU average). 

The Greek National Coalition: a key driver for digital education

Digital education has become a strong policy focus in Greece. During the COVID-19 lockdown the country took decisive steps to move learning online but faced challenges with access and implementation, same as many other EU countries. 

“The Greek National Coalition for Digital Skills and Jobs has been (and is) at the core of this effort to improve skills, helping to build links across the fields of education and employment to facilitate collaboration between all the different actors working on digital skills in Greece”.

Greece has among the highest number of recommended hours annually for ICT as a compulsory separate subject in primary education (150), and digital learning outcomes are specified in detail for all education levels. A lack of monitoring at system level, however, makes it difficult to ascertain the impact and outcomes of digital education and online learning in schools. 

At the same time, much progress has been made across key areas – especially early school leaving, where Greece ranks amongst the lowest of the EU Member States. Data from Eurostat shows that in 2020, this figure stood at 3.8% compared to the EU average of 9.9%.  

About the author 

Maria Flourou is the Head of the Department of Digital Economy, Investment and Digital Skills of Digital Strategy Directorate, Secretariat General of Digital Governance & Simplification of Procedures, Ministry of Digital Governance. She is also the Greek National Coordinator for Digital Skills and Jobs. 

About the Greek National Coalition 

The Greek National Coalition for Digital Skills and Jobs is a cooperation platform, which brings together a wide range of stakeholders from the public and private sector, including other social partners. This network of members launches activities to bridge the digital skills gap and enhance Greek society’s digital skills overall. The main aim is to address the skills gap within every sector of the Greek economy. 

The Greek Coalition was set up in May 2018 and since then has launched a number of actions across different social groups within the country: education and training, business and the labour force, citizens, and those employed in the ICT sector. 

© European Union, 2017