Every third teen wants to work in a tech company
Wise, the global technology company building the best way to move money around the world commissioned Kantar Emor to map the career aspirations of 16-19-year-old Estonians. One third of respondents see themselves working in a technology or a startup company in the future.
“Today’s smart youngsters understand that technology has become a natural part of our everyday life. Tech helps us update outdated practices by linking different fields and by doing so, move our society forward as a whole. Teens consider education in this field more and more important, regardless of whether they want to become teachers, veterinarians, marketers or designers,” explains Lars Trunin, Head of Europe & UK Product at Wise.
2022 survey results
- Almost a quarter (23%) of youngsters are interested in technology education. After a slight decrease in 2021, it’s back on the same level as in 2018. 7% of teens definitely plan to study some technology-related subject, 16% consider it likely.
- Interest in technology education has increased most in rural areas, rising from 23% to 36%.
- Interest in technology continues to be higher among young men. More than a third (36%) of men are interested in pursuing their studies in technology, but only 11% of women.
- Every third (34%) youngster wants to work in a technology or a startup company. However, almost a quarter (23%) of the respondents do not wish to work in tech. This number is higher than in 2018, but has decreased since 2021. The percentage among Estonians is similar to last year, but has increased by more than a third among other nationalities, reaching 39%.
Final comments and remarks
“One of the reasons for kood/Jõhvi’s great success in the first year is the same reason – more and more people, whether younger or older, understand the need of learning technology-related skills,” says Elle-Mari Pappel, co head of school at kood/Jõhvi. “Within younger people, it’s important to show them the opportunities of learning IT in today’s modern world. This is also why we cooperate with different projects such as Robotex or ESTDEV in Uganda. These projects work by the same vision as us – to spread technological knowledge and make it accessible for everyone.”
“It’s great to see the widespread interest in technology among youngsters, but the results of the survey also show bottlenecks that we must actively address. One problem in the entire sector is the visibly lower representation of women in technical roles. To change this, we need to educate people from an early age and open up opportunities in the world of technology for youngsters, and especially for girls. There are initiatives already launched to address this, but there’s still plenty to do,” encourages Lars Trunin for schools and companies to take action.
The survey was conducted by Kantar Emor in the spring of 2022 using online interviews or the CAWI method. The target group consisted of 344 students in the 9th grade, high school or other educational institution providing secondary education during the academic year 21/22.
*The original post is up on Wise’s blog. Have a look!
Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move money around the world. With the Wise account people and businesses can hold over 50 currencies, move money between countries and spend money abroad. Large companies and banks use Wise technology too; an entirely new cross-border payments network that will one day power money without borders for everyone, everywhere. However you use the platform, Wise is on a mission to make your life easier and save you money.
Co-founded by Kristo Käärmann and Taavet Hinrikus, Wise launched in 2011 under its original name TransferWise. It is one of the world’s fastest growing, profitable technology companies and is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker, WISE. 13 million people and businesses use Wise, which processes over €9 billion in cross-border transactions every month, saving customers over €1 billion a year.