The global tech talent Gap: Jordan’s strategic opportunity

The global ICT industry is experiencing an acute shortage of qualified professionals, with recent forecasts pointing to a deficit of up to 85 million jobs by 2030, potentially leading to an annual economic loss of USD 8.5 trillion, according to the World Economic Forum.

Among the most affected nations is the United States, which faced around 4 million unfilled technology jobs in 2024, as reported by the 2024 Tech Salary Guide. Europe is projected to face a shortfall of 8 million ICT specialists by 2030, according to the European Parliament’s Research Service, falling short of its target of 20 million technology professionals.

Meanwhile, Japan anticipates a need for 5.7 million ICT professionals by 2030, according to the JETRO IT Workforce Report. In Switzerland, a study by ICT-VET Switzerland projects a 40,000-person deficit in ICT talent by 2030. In Canada, the Digital Talent Outlook 2023 expects a cumulative shortage of 305,000 tech professionals by the same year.

Within this global context, Jordan stands out as a promising opportunity, capable of capitalizing on the growing scarcity of technology professionals through skill development for its youth and by expanding its technology exports. While Jordan graduates around 7,000 students annually in fields related to technology, the majority of local tech companies are SMEs. These businesses lack large-scale projects and sufficient export potential, limiting job creation and leading to a brain drain of qualified professionals.

Despite ongoing efforts in Jordan, additional actions are required to reinforce the country’s role in the ICT sector, such as:

Aligning educational curricula with global market needs, especially in AI, cybersecurity, big data, and software development.

Enhancing English language proficiency among students where most tech positions require English fluency.

Providing hands-on training and forming public-private-academia partnerships to ensure graduates are prepared for the markets.

Strengthening Jordan’s brand as a regional tech hub through international campaigns that showcase Jordanian talent, alongside greater support for local companies to participate in regional and global exhibitions, thereby facilitating export deals.

Supporting SMEs in generating new leads, becoming export-ready, enhancing internal processes, and ensuring compliance with target market regulations to compete globally.

It is crucial to realize that graduating top-notch professionals is insufficient unless there are abundant job opportunities within the country. This can be achieved by more proactive steps to support exports, such as establishing a specialized business development and readiness unit, assigning professional and intermediaries in target markets, generating leads to Jordanian companies and matching them with regional and international companies facing talent shortages.

Currently, Jordan’s technology sector contributes 4% of the country’s GDP. However, this figure could be doubled by boosting exports and connecting Jordanian companies with their global counterparts.

In conclusion, all stakeholders must collaborate to enhance technology education, empower SMEs to expand into regional and international markets. By investing in these foundations today, Jordan can become the top destination for companies seeking tech talent, turning graduates’ aspirations into real job opportunities at home.

Nidal Bitar is Chief Executive Officer of the Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (int@j)