Current events

Eurostat recently offered some spectacular results, as it gave an unemployment rate of 7.65% for the engineering collective, in contrast to the state average of 26.6% (May 2012).

This isn't a new situation for ICT engineers as in the last 20 years [1992-2012] they have been able to overcome and elude other important crises, such as the post-92 Olympics, the Y2K problem, the famous dot-com bubble crisis as of 2000 or the situation following the introduction of the Euro in 2002.

Thus, "the data seems to suggest that we are facing one of the most stable professions, and perhaps with the brightest future, in our society. Many European Community countries have a deficit in ICT engineers and have to import them from other countries", said Rafael Macau, director of the Multimedia and Telecommunications Department at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC).


How the ICT engineer resists crisis

Certain branches of engineering, such as computer or multimedia, are very recent. Computer engineers apply the fundamentals of computer science, software engineering, information systems and ICT in general to develop solutions, able to process information automatically.

Today, if there is something that is present in all (or almost all) fields and organizations, this is ICT. In addition, graduates are well prepared and are highly valued by companies.

Unlike other degrees such as medicine or psychology, the number of students and graduates in engineering has maintained, in the last two decades, values ​​of relative equilibrium between supply and demand, with a predominance of demand.

According to Josep Prieto, assistant director of the Multimedia and Telecommunications Department at the UOC, "companies need new and better engineering graduates, and therefore the sector is constantly evolving." A report of the Technology Circle of Catalonia on the technology industry shows interesting data about the needs of businesses in selecting technology professionals.

"Therefore, degrees in ICT engineering are a university education to recommend to women and men, who are right now considering where to invest their future", affirms Rafael Macau.