New StepUp StartUps report: Shaping and strengthening European AI talent

November 18, 2025 at 09:02 AM UTC
EU-Startups
Original: EN
New StepUp StartUps report: Shaping and strengthening European AI talent

A new report from the StepUp StartUps consortium highlights the current state of AI talent within the European Union, focusing on the development, attraction, and retention of skilled workers. The study examines the existing strengths in the region and outlines challenges to overcome in order to foster future growth in the field of artificial intelligence. This is crucial for Europe’s long-term competitiveness in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Between 2016 and 2023, the number of AI professionals in the EU more than doubled, now representing 0.41% of the total workforce. The EU is also a major hub for AI education, with 35% of global AI-related Master’s programs offered by its universities and research centers. However, there are significant disparities, such as the gender gap, where women constitute less than one-quarter of AI engineers. The report also reveals that several EU member states, including Germany, France, and the Netherlands, are emerging as key AI talent hubs. Furthermore, the Apply AI Strategy was launched in October 2025 to support AI adoption and integration across various sectors. The report underlines the need for tailored strategies to address sector-specific challenges, such as in healthcare, energy, and advanced manufacturing, in order to cultivate a diverse and skilled AI workforce.

To provide multilingual access, this article summary was automatically generated.

Source Information

Publication: EU-Startups
Published: November 18, 2025 at 09:02 AM UTC
All rights remain with the original publisher.