AI Talent in the European Labour Market (2019)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hotly debated topic, particularly in the context of its impact on the labour market and the workforce. This report offers a unique approach to the topic, outlining new and evidence-based insights into the dynamic between AI and the labour market. In addition, it also offers an an assessment of AI talent in
Europe and uncovers emerging trends that can help inform policymaking in this area. This report examines the relative distribution and concentration of AI talent and skills across the EU Member States, territories, and demographies.
For the purpose of this study, data generated by LinkedIn’s Economic Graph is used. It derives not only from AI professionals – their skills, distribution by industry, and geographic location – but also from AI job openings, measuring supply and demand of talent trends in real-time, and providing a comprehensive baseline of insights that can better inform AI diffusion.
The paper explores four main areas: 1) the state of AI in the European Union, highlighting similarities and differences across EU Member States; 2) characteristics of AI talent across EU countries; 3) interpretations for the variations that can be noticed across countries; 4) policy recommendations that can help to transform the EU into an
AI champion and simultaneously diversify the distribution of AI talent across socioeconomic and geographic spheres.
Among some of its key findings, the research has revealed that AI talent is spread unequally across Member States, industrial sectors, and demographic groups. Just three countries are home to half of all the Europe’s AI talent: the highest proportion (24%) can be found in the UK, followed by Germany (14%) and France (12%). The report also reveals that Europe is lagging behind the United States. Furthermore, looking from the industry perspective, two-thirds of AI-skilled individuals work in the technology (ICT) sector or within academia, which demonstrates that AI knowledge and technologies have not yet diffused to many segments of the European economy. Finally, the report also demonstrated that AI talent distribution is uneven across gender, educational, and demographic lines.
