According to a new forecast, the Danish labour market will in seven years’ time be short of 10,000 people with training in technology, science, and IT.
Although the number of applicants to engineering degree programmes and student intake have been increasing in recent years, it is far from sufficient to match the business sector’s demand in the coming years. This appears from new figures from the technological alliance Engineer the future which The Danish Society of Engineers has prepared.
According to the forecast, there will be a shortage of 10,000 highly educated people with a technological and scientific background.
More precisely, the prediction is that 6,500 MSc Eng and BEng engineers as well as 3,500 natural sciences graduates will be needed.
The figures are based on the Danish Ministry of Finance's long-term forecast for the Danish economy compared with expectations for the number of graduates, demographics, and a number of other factors.
One example is the unmet need for labour. By looking at approximately 900 job titles, the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment has in two separate studies asked approximately 14,000 companies whether they have difficulties recruiting the right people.
In 2014 there were just under 1,000 positions targeted at engineers, IT specialists, and natural sciences graduates, which after a period of two months were still vacant. In 2017, the corresponding figure was more than 1,500 positions.
For several years, DTU has increased its intake of new students, and this will also be the ambition in 2018 despite the prospect of declining year groups,” says DTU President Anders Bjarklev.
“This forecast should be taken very seriously. We know that highly skilled and competent graduates with technological understanding and engineering competences are fundamental to innovation and growth in businesses. DTU has for a long time increased its annual intake of new students, and we will continue to do so. We also continuously develop new study programmes and adapt our existing programmes in close dialogue with the companies, as they have in-depth knowledge of the requirements both in the short and the long term,” says Anders Bjarklev.