3 out of 4 workers not equipped with digital skills

Despite so much buzz around digital transformation amid the pandemic, nearly three out of four people in the current and future workforce of 19 countries (including India) say they do not have the resources to acquire digital skills.

The “Global Digital Skills Index” study of an American cloud-based software company Selling power revealed a growing global digital skills crisis and the urgent need to act.

In 19 countries, workers scored 33 points out of a possible 100 on the Digital Skills Readiness Index in areas such as readiness, access to learning resources, skill level and participation in training.

Workers in the United States fared slightly better at 36 points out of 100. The vast majority of respondents (83%) claim “advanced” or “intermediate” skills in everyday social media and the same goes for everyday digital communication skills.

However, only a third feel prepared for the workplace social media skills needed over the next five years, according to the report released Thursday evening.

Two-thirds of respondents say they are unprepared for the social media skills the workplace will need in the next five years.

More than 6 in 10 respondents worldwide say collaboration technology skills like Slack are considered the most important skills businesses need today and over the next five years.

Only 31% of Generation Z respondents, the first truly digital-native generation, feel “very equipped” for digital-focused employment right now.

Few Gen Z respondents believe they have “advanced” digital skills in areas including coding (20%), data encryption and cybersecurity (18%) and AI (7%), according to the results. .

When it comes to digital skills preparation and education, senior executives and their workforces are not on the same page.

A majority of senior management respondents (54%) said they are prepared with the digital skills needed now.

“However, less than half of managers and individual contributors agree, signaling a disconnect within organizations,” the report said.

It is a common assumption that developed countries and younger generations feel better prepared for the digital skills demanded by jobs today.

“But these results challenge those assumptions. In fact, many respondents say they feel unequipped and unprepared for some of the most important digital skills needed in the workplace,” the report notes.

Younger generations have more confidence and ambition to learn skills they don’t know as well.

Globally, 36% of Gen Z and Millennials participate “very actively” in learning and training, compared to only 22% of Generation X and 15% of baby boomers, says the report.