Why Poland Needs 700,000 More IT Specialists by 2035

Last year Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Digital Affairs, Krzysztof Gawkowski, warned that Poland needed to spend 100 billion zlotys on digitalization to catch up with the rest of Europe. Since the beginning of April his appeals to grow Poland’s digital presence have become more urgent. This has led to him stating in the media this week that Poland needs 700,000 more IT specialists than it has today, by 2035.

Last week Gawkowski confirmed that groups from the Russian Federation and Belarus were behind a recent cyberattack on Poland’s main ruling PO party.

In a post on X, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk had written earlier that “foreign interference in the elections has started. The security services point to an eastern footprint.”

Poland’s Cybershield Gains in Importance

Last year, Gawskowski announced new investments in cybersecurity at a press conference. He stated that more than 3 billion zlotys would be allocated to building a ‘cybershield’ to guarantee the security of Poles.

He emphasized how Poland is not in a cold war today, but a hot cyber war with Russia, which has allegedly launched multiple cyberattacks on Poland since the invasion of Ukraine.

In an interview this week Gawkowski was asked about Poland’s cybersecurity strategy for 2025 to 2029. Although recent attacks may appear to be accelerating his actions, the final version is still expected later this year.

Gawkowski pointed out that the National Cybersecurity System being implemented is supported by the same ministry that is preparing Poland’s digitalization strategy for 2035.

When asked about the specifics of the cybersecurity strategy for Poland, Gawkowski shared how this is made up of four elements. The first one is technology like quantum computing, AI, cybersecurity, and cryptography. The second is geopolitical tensions and international collaboration. The third is the fight with disinformation. The final fourth element is about digital talent, or the lack of it in the Polish market. He explained how by 2035 there will be a need for 1.5 million IT specialists in Poland. However, today there are only about 800,000.

The Secure International Summit 2025 Focuses on Cybersecurity

Last week an event called the Secure International Summit 2025 took place in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz. Gawkowski opened the event with Radoslaw Nielek from NASK. NASK is a Polish national research institute that specializes in cybersecurity. Nielek leads the organization today.

The Summit took on larger significance with Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union ongoing till June 2025. The Summit had speakers representing NATO, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Latvia, amongst others.

To help maintain the momentum from the Summit, Gawkowski highlighted in his interview how “globally, the number of cyberattacks is steadily rising. In 2024, Poland’s CERT team recorded over 100,000 cybersecurity incidents in the country.”

Poland’s time to act is now. However, producing an additional 700,000 IT specialists will require a comprehensive and well supported strategy that is still being agreed. In the meantime, the wider Polish economy has been put on high alert. Both to counter cyberattacks as well as to support the development of hundreds of thousands of IT people.

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