The skills squeeze in cyber, ERP and AI

Digital transformation isn’t just about technology, it’s about people.

Across Europe’s industrial midmarket, digital ambition is high, but capability isn’t keeping pace. Forterro’s latest research found that cybersecurity, ERP expertise and AI literacy are the top three digital skills gaps holding firms back.

These are the very skills needed to drive transformation. Without them, even the best technology plans stall. Nearly half of businesses (49%) said skills shortages have already affected growth or project delivery, and 37% aren’t confident they can recruit the people they need.

This is the digital maturity challenge no amount of software alone can solve.

The missing middle

For most midmarket firms, the problem isn’t awareness, it’s bandwidth.

Leaders know where the gaps are. They just don’t have the resources or time to close them all at once.

A production manager might understand the value of predictive maintenance but lack anyone who can interpret the data. A finance lead might want better analytics but be stuck exporting CSVs. The result? Digital projects that never make it past pilot stage.

At its heart, this isn’t a talent problem, it’s a scale problem. The midmarket sits in a unique bind: too large to rely solely on generalists, too lean to maintain in-house specialists for every emerging technology.

Where to start when you can’t hire everyone

You don’t need to fill every skills gap overnight. Most midmarket firms make progress by focusing on three priorities: protection, stability and confidence.

Start with cybersecurity. It’s the most immediate risk and the easiest to strengthen through process and awareness, not just tools. Every employee can help reduce exposure, so training and clear ownership go further than another layer of software.

Next, focus on ERP skills, because ERP is the foundation that holds everything else together. When people understand how their data connects across finance, production, and supply chain, efficiency follows naturally. Upskilling existing teams in the systems they already use delivers faster returns than hunting for new specialists.

Finally, build confidence with AI. Forget the hype, most manufacturers see real value in practical areas like analytics and predictive maintenance. AI literacy doesn’t mean everyone needs to code; it means people can interpret data, ask the right questions, and trust automation when it’s useful.

Train, partner, repeat

Forterro’s findings show 55% of companies say digital tools have created the need for retraining. That’s an opportunity, not a setback. Internal training programs, peer learning, and vendor partnerships can lift capability without lifting headcount.

In Sweden, for example, ERP skills are the single biggest gap (59%), yet 64% of firms are already retraining staff to close it. In Spain, confidence in recruiting digital talent is higher, but 60% still say skill shortages have impacted growth.

The message across Europe is consistent: you can’t buy maturity, you have to build it.

Three actions for midmarket leaders

1. Map your risk, not your roles.
   Identify which missing skills actually threaten delivery or compliance. Prioritise those first.
2. Blend experience with training.
   Pair operational veterans with digitally savvy newcomers — knowledge transfer both ways.
3. Turn vendors into learning partners.
   A good ERP or cybersecurity partner should be teaching your team, not replacing them.

A maturity mindset

Digital maturity isn’t a finish line; it’s a learning culture. The firms making real progress aren’t the ones with the most advanced tools,they’re the ones whose people understand how to use them together.

As Carrie Tallett, Senior Product Manager at Forterro, puts it:

“By combining hands-on experience with technical qualifications, an organisation can upskill its workforce without limiting its operational capacity.”

The midmarket can’t outspend the talent shortage, but it can outsmart it, by focusing on what matters most: people who know how to make technology work in the real world.