On the 11th February 2026 the BlockW/ESRI Research Report “Squandered Skills? Bridging the Digital Gender Skills Gap for Inclusive Growth in Ireland – A Comparative European Perspective” commissioned and funded by BlockW and undertaken by the ESRI was launched by Minster Marian Harkin TD.
This research, funded and commissioned by BlockW under a joint research programme with the ESRI examined how workers use different types of digital skills in their jobs. These skills range from basic tasks (such as internet use and spreadsheets) to advanced tasks (including programming, machine learning, artificial intelligence tools, and IT system management). This BlockW report launch coincided with International Day of Women and Girls in Science. A key feature of this study is a newly developed Job Digital Intensity Index, which captures the overall level of digital intensity across jobs. The research uses data from the European Skills and Jobs Survey (2021).
While gender gaps in advanced digital work are evident across Europe, Ireland stands out as having the largest gender gap in advanced digital skill use at work. In Ireland, men are far more likely than women to use advanced digital skills at work, raising concerns about the underutilisation of women’s digital skills, despite Ireland’s strong ICT sector and high levels of educational attainment.
Key findings include:
- Ireland has the largest gender gap in advanced digital skills use in Europe. Around 44% of men in Ireland use advanced digital skills in their jobs, compared with just 18% of women. This represents a 26-percentage-point gap, almost double the European average.
- The gender gap is driven by relatively high advanced digital skill use among men, rather than low use among women. Women in Ireland use advanced digital skills at rates broadly comparable to women elsewhere in Europe. Ireland’s large gap arises because men in Ireland are much more likely than men in other European countries to use advanced digital skills at work.
- Differences in digital skill use persist even among comparable workers. Women are less likely than men to use advanced digital skills even when comparing workers with similar levels and fields of education, occupations, and sectors.
- Job and sector differences explain only part of the gap. In Ireland, women and men tend to work in different jobs and sectors, particularly in ICT-intensive roles, which explains some of the difference in digital skill use. However, a substantial share of the gender gap remains unexplained after accounting for education, occupation, and sector.
- Women are under-represented in the most digitally intensive jobs. Gender differences are relatively modest in less digitally intensive roles but widen sharply in the most digitally intensive jobs. In Ireland, this ‘digital glass ceiling’ is more pronounced than in the rest of Europe.
- Younger women already face larger digital skill gaps than older workers. Gender gaps in advanced digital skills use are larger among younger workers and are less easily explained by differences in observable characteristics such as education or occupation. This suggests the issue is not a legacy problem among older cohorts and will not resolve automatically over time
Opening Remarks:
- Minister Marian Harkin, Minister of State at the Department of Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science
- Martina Lawless, Director of Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)
Moderator
- Helen Dixon, Non-Executive Director at Repak. Former ComReg and Data Protection Commissioner
𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥:
- Prof. Mary Aiken Professor of Cyberpsychology, Capitol Technology University, Washington and Member of Interpol Global Cybercrime Expert Group
- Michelle Wallace; CEO, Digital Infrastructure Ireland & Founder, A Better Work
- Shauna Dunlop; Director of Research, Future Skills Needs, Statistics and Risk at SOLAS. Host of Future Skills Ireland Podcast.
- Seamus McGuinness; Research Professor, ESRI
- Anna Wallace; Assistant Principal Higher, Department of Finance
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬:
- Professor Seamus McGuinness: Research Professor, ESRI
- Adele Whelan, Senior Research Officer, ESRI
- Luke Brosnan, Research Economist, ESRI