[CLSTR]
< Back to all clusters
[BUSINESS] · Italy · 2 sources

started · updated

Part of situation: Italy data center industry expansion and grid challenges (3 clusters)

Italy faces cybersecurity specialist shortage and rising data center demand

cybersecurity shortage ICT specialists Italian SMEs data centers digital workforce

Italy is experiencing a significant shortage of ICT and cybersecurity specialists, creating operational and competitive risks for businesses. According to the European Commission’s 2025 Digital Decade Report, ICT specialists accounted for only 4% of the Italian workforce in 2024, a figure below the European Union average.

The gap is particularly acute among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Data from Istat indicates that only 11.3% of SMEs with at least ten employees possessed ICT specialists in 2024, compared to 74.5% of large corporations. Furthermore, internal training remains limited, with only 16.9% of SMEs organizing IT courses.

In contrast to the general shortage of specialists, the data center sector is seeing a surge in recruitment. As of August 2026, job advertisements for data centers in Italy increased by 137% compared to pre-pandemic levels, reaching an index of 237.

Entities

European Commission · Istat · Italy

Sources

IMPRESE, cybersecurity. Risorse umane: la carenza di specialisti e i rischi per le aziende italiane [www.insidertrend.it]
Data center, in Italia annunci di lavoro più che raddoppiati [www.notiziariofinanziario.com]