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Report published by La Razón.
Fifty percent of the most in-demand jobs are related to technology, while Spain faces a shortage of 1.4 million professionals.
The rapid pace of the revolution we are experiencing highlights a dramatic shortage of technology professionals. DigitalES, an association of technology companies, estimates that by 2024, the number of professionals needed in Spain in this decade will rise to 1.4 million.
It is not surprising that, according to LinkedIn’s 2024 “Booming Jobs” ranking, 50% of the most in-demand positions are related to technology. As Ana Matarranz and Enrique Arce explain in their latest book, El poder de la diversidad generacional (The Power of Generational Diversity), company managers are also faced with the need to admit that a paradigm shift has taken place: young professionals, especially those in the field of technology, are no longer looking for a paid job, but rather a framework for personal and professional growth, in which they are treated as people rather than mere workers. Furthermore, even when they are highly trained, they are short-sighted and sometimes mercenary.
It is therefore sensible, say the authors, to draw on senior talent, referred to as “silver” in reference to the color of their hair, as part of the solution to this deficit. Those who are now 60 and older matured while mastering, from the outset, the fundamentals of coding on which modern programming languages are based. They have witnessed the evolution of agile methodologies that originated in the iterative methods of the late 20th century.
“We can say that a proper retraining process can enable older professionals to perform well in collaboration with younger people. In addition, many older people offer useful, highly reliable profiles: they are not ambitious, do not compete, want to train and mentor, and do not rotate. They even welcome the offer of career transition or retirement programs that allow them to leave their knowledge behind in the company,” the authors point out.
The real challenge is not only to continue discovering and applying new technologies, but to ensure that they are a means to an end, never an end in themselves. This means leaving no one behind in the race and eliminating the digital divide through various initiatives. The job market has undergone significant changes in recent decades, driven mainly by technological advances, globalization, and the different expectations of new generations.
Eva Ivars, CEO of Alain Spain and Portugal, points out that in this world, where careers are no longer predictable or linear, job stability seems like a relic of the past. The sense of job security, coupled with vertical progression within the established hierarchy, is over. Added to this are factors such as an aging population and the need for constant updating due to the unstoppable advance of technology, which are redrawing the way we work and do business.
A study by the World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030, 54% of all employees will need ongoing training to adapt to new technologies. “The representation of senior workers (aged 55 and over) in the Spanish labor market has grown from 13.6% a decade ago to 21% today. This phenomenon is leading many people of a certain age to reconsider their role in the labor market or their way of working, and to seek opportunities that allow them to remain active, productive, and fulfilled. In my opinion, senior talent is not limited to adapting to technological change: it leads it, understands it, and turns it into opportunity.”
Senior talent not only brings knowledge and stability, but also a unique ability to lead change based on experience. In addition, they have a vision of the entire digital transformation from the outset, and backup can give them greater adaptability to all the changes that lie ahead. Against this backdrop, the franchise model presents itself as a promising alternative for those who want to start their own business and take control of their own destiny, says Eva Ivars.
“We have managed to overcome some of the intergenerational difficulties we encounter at Alain Afflelou, such as the digital divide, by providing careful support so that all our employees and collaborators acquire the necessary skills. We face a big challenge: making the digital channel coexist with the traditional channel, especially in franchising, where the franchisee may perceive this channel as an appropriation of sales. It is not so much a generational issue as it is the very essence of our business,” explains Eva.
Twenty-something in hoodies
Some people think that tech is the exclusive domain of twenty-something in hoodies. But the reality is that many scale-ups fail due to a lack of experience at key moments. “Young energy is vital, but without strategic direction, it can lead to burnout or erratic decisions. Well-integrated senior leadership doesn’t slow things down: it focuses, stabilizes, and scales,” says Sarah Harmon, CEO of ODILO, a Spanish edtech company with more than 300 employees.
Sarah is a leader with more than 25 years of experience in the technology sector, having held top-level positions at companies such as Sngular (CEO), LinkedIn (director for Spain and Portugal), and Microsoft, where she led the global launch of Office 365. Experience in the tech sector is a degree. “We’ve seen enough to know when to accelerate, when to stop, and when to listen. In an environment like edtech, where something new dazzles us every day, someone has to ensure that innovation serves a purpose and that what we build today also makes sense tomorrow. In addition, senior leaders tend to have a cross-functional vision: we understand products, business, and people. We know how to connect the dots,” says Sarah.
She believes that experience is not a relic, but a strategic advantage. “In technology—where everything is constantly changing—having leaders who have already lived through cycles, mistakes, and reinventions is a luxury. At this age, you don’t have to prove anything. You can focus on what really matters: making informed decisions, supporting the team, and setting the direction without noise. I see it as being a guide in the middle of a storm: you don’t run anymore, but you know where to go.”
More and more people want to remain active. Life expectancy, good health beyond age 60, incentives to delay retirement, and personal reasons are leading many to postpone retirement. According to the Global CEO Survey published by PwC in 2024, among the main concerns of business leaders is the impact of technological disruption and its prominent role in reinventing business models. In the same study, CEOs of the world’s leading companies state that the adoption of generative AI in their companies will be one of the significant challenges they face over the next three years.
There is only one engine capable of driving this transformation: talent, wherever it comes from, where the combined talent of young and old is more a product of multiplication than the result of addition.
Juancho Cebral knows well what it means to use AI. His professional experience in the insurance field prompted him to take the leap and create his own project. Together with Sergio Balsa, he founded Insurama, an insurtech company that uses new technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analysis to improve and automate the insurance industry.
They do so by targeting a niche that large companies neglect: physical goods, which their customers value highly. From a cell phone, a television, or a sofa to a pair of sneakers. Currently, more than 310,000 customers internationally are protected by Insurama. In addition, it has a network of more than 1,700 commercial outlets in Iberia and Latin America and operates in five countries: Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Chile, and Peru.
Cebral asserts that, unlike more volatile sectors, insurers value solidity, operational continuity, and risk management: areas where senior experience makes a significant difference. “Having senior profiles who already know this ecosystem allows us to accelerate the integration of technology, without neglecting key factors such as compliance, scalability, and efficiency.
“Many organizations assume that new is always better and disregard previous learning.”
When asked what common mistakes he sees in organizations that fail to integrate senior tech talent successfully, Cebral says one is not listening. “Many organizations assume that new is always better and disregard previous learning. There is also a tendency to segment by age rather than by skills or potential, which limits real integration. Senior talent does not need privileges, but rather an environment where they can continue to contribute, learn, and grow.”
Another common mistake, according to this expert, is treating senior talent as if they were in a “maintenance” phase. It is also a mistake, he argues, not to include them in key product or technology decisions. “The result is often frustration and the loss of valuable talent that, if properly integrated, could accelerate the transformation of any organization,” he notes.
A growing sector
The Spanish technology ecosystem is showing signs of strength. In 2025, it will consolidate its expansion and relevance with a total of 8,580 active technology companies, representing a 22% increase over the previous year, according to the 2025 National Tech Companies Report, prepared by the Ecosistema Startup data platform.
“The level of technological acceleration requires a mindset of continuous learning, whether you are 25 or 55 years old,” says Isaac Cantalejo, Vice President and Managing Director of Netmind, a company specializing in consulting and training services for IT, Agile adoption and scaling, and new ways of working and AI culture.
Isaac Cantalejo believes that the tendency to associate innovation with youth, as if they were synonymous, is a limited, impoverished, and mistaken narrative. “We are at a point where constantly updating skills is a must for everyone, young and old alike,” he adds. Because today, more than ever, in a world dominated by technology, you need to have the best technologists in-house. “There are companies, such as IBM, that stand out for maintaining flexible career models where expertise, experience, and knowledge are valued and rewarded just as much as traditional management roles,” says this expert.
Manuel Álvarez, managing director of UnaBiz Spain, believes that the technology sector is not taking sufficient advantage of the knowledge and experience of senior professionals. “Ageism is still present in the sector. Some companies dismiss senior talent because they assume it is too expensive. Their age should not measure the value that a senior profile brings, but by the real return that their work generates.”