The number is well known, and it isn't getting smaller. According to ICT-Berufsbildung Schweiz, Switzerland will be short of around 54,400 ICT specialists by 2033. Additional demand is 128,600 people. Education covers about 35 percent of that, immigration about 23 percent. More than 40 percent stays open.

Two thirds of ICT specialists work outside the ICT sector: in industry, banking, insurance and retail. So the shortage doesn't only hit software companies. It hits every company that builds or runs its own software.

What this means for a company with 20 to 250 people

Large employers usually win the competition for senior developers on salary and brand. For mid-sized companies that means roles stay open for months, the roadmap slips and the existing team carries the load. Hiring under that pressure often means hiring the wrong profile.

No single lever fixes this. But five approaches work in practice, and most companies end up combining them.

1. Sharpen the profile instead of hunting for a unicorn

Many roles stay open because the profile packs five jobs into one person. Ask which two or three skills the role really needs in its first twelve months. Everything else can be learned or covered differently. A clear profile often shortens the search more than a bigger budget does.

2. Train your own people

Apprenticeships and career changers are the most sustainable route. The ICT apprenticeship rate was 5.9 percent in 2023; the industry body is aiming for 8.8 percent. The catch: turning an apprentice into a senior developer takes years, and juniors need experienced people around them. This solves tomorrow's bottleneck, not today's.

3. Freelancers for peaks

Freelancers are quick to bring in and good for well-defined tasks. For core development they're risky: knowledge leaves when the contract ends, and the best freelancers tend to be booked exactly when you need them.

4. Use AI deliberately

AI coding agents take a lot of routine work off experienced engineers: tests, migrations, documentation. That doesn't mean you no longer need developers. It means a smaller, more senior team gets more done. We wrote about how agents change the shape of a team.

5. Nearshoring with embedded engineers

Instead of searching only the Swiss market, you can bring experienced engineers from a nearby country straight into your team. For Swiss companies, Spain is a natural fit: same time zone, EU law and data protection, a large pool of senior developers and lower churn than many other nearshore markets.

The model is what matters. The engineers work in your tools and stand-ups, you run the interviews and decide, and they stay instead of rotating every few months. More on our page on nearshore staffing for Swiss companies and in our Spain vs. Eastern Europe comparison.

Which approach fits you?

  • You need capacity in the next few weeks: nearshoring or freelancers.
  • You want knowledge to stay in the team: your own hires or nearshoring with permanently embedded engineers.
  • You're planning three to five years ahead: also train your own people.
  • Either way: sharpen the profile and use AI deliberately.

Got an open developer role and wondering whether nearshoring fits it? Get in touch and we'll give you an honest answer.

FAQ

How many IT specialists is Switzerland short of?

According to the 2025 study by ICT-Berufsbildung Schweiz, Switzerland will be short of around 54,400 ICT specialists by 2033. Additional demand is 128,600 people, of which education and immigration together cover just under 60 percent.

Is nearshoring a solution to the IT skills shortage?

For many companies, yes, as part of the solution. Nearshoring widens the talent pool beyond Switzerland without a time-zone gap. What matters is that the engineers are embedded in your team and stay, rather than working through tickets from a distance.

How quickly can a developer role be filled through nearshoring?

With an established partner, 2 to 4 weeks to the first working day is realistic, including the interviews you run yourself.

Source: ICT-Berufsbildung Schweiz, skills demand to 2033, via Netzwoche, 18 Sept 2025 (German).