Latvia urged to boost women's participation in STEM as AI reshapes job market
Women make up 25.9% of ICT specialists in Latvia, above the EU average, but men still dominate the sector. An opinion piece argues that stronger support for girls and women from school to careers is needed to address the technology skills gap.
The rapid entry of artificial intelligence into various industries is raising demand for specialists able to analyse data, build digital products, strengthen cybersecurity and automate business processes. These skills are mostly linked to STEM fields, and Latvia still shows a clear gender imbalance.
According to Eurostat data for 2025, women account for 25.9% of ICT specialists in Latvia, which is 6.4 percentage points more than the EU average. However, about three quarters of ICT specialists in the country are still men. In a small labour market, this disproportion directly affects the country's ability to develop technology companies, attract investment and remain competitive.
At the EU level, there were 10.45 million ICT specialists employed in 2025, while the Digital Decade programme aims to raise that number to 20 million by 2030. This means that roughly 9.6 million additional technology professionals will be needed in the coming years. At the same time, basic digital skills were held by 60% of EU residents aged 16 to 74 in 2025, with a target of 80% by 2030. Training new specialists takes time, so it is especially important for Latvia that girls and women continue from school into STEM studies and later choose a career in technology.
The technology sector is not limited to programming and engineering. Implementing digital projects also requires professionals who can work with data and understand product development, regulation, risk management and user needs. In fintech, for example, a successful career depends on the ability to identify problems, make data-driven decisions and create solutions people use daily, not just on technical knowledge.
When a team is dominated by similar professional backgrounds, there is a higher risk that a digital solution will be unclear to some users, contain embedded bias in data, or lead to unjustified automated decisions. Diverse teams help spot and fix such issues before a product reaches users, which is particularly important in financial technology, where errors can affect people's access to money, data and essential services.
Interest in STEM needs to be turned into real experience, and that requires opportunities to explore the industry hands-on. The association Riga TechGirls, for instance, runs training and mentoring programmes that help young women and those seeking a career change understand how to move step by step into technology jobs. Mentoring allows them to test their interest, prepare for conversations with employers and move closer to an internship or a new career.
Employers should also review requirements in technology job ads, clearly separating skills needed at the start from those that can be learned on the job. Overly narrow definitions of previous experience may push away candidates whose background helps them better understand the product, customer needs and the specific industry. A supportive work environment where new specialists can learn from experienced colleagues is equally important.
The shortage of technology specialists in Latvia cannot be solved by simply posting new vacancies. People need to be prepared for these professions already at school, during studies and in their first work experience. Long-term results come from cooperation between educational institutions and companies, and women's participation in STEM should become a significant part of education and human resources development policy.
