• Over three-quarters of the global workforce do not feel ready to operate in a digital-first world, according to Salesforce’s Global Digital Skills Index
  • This figure increases to 80% in the UK, with 43% of UK workers also saying they feel ‘overwhelmed’ by the rate of technological change
  • Index shows major gap emerging between everyday digital skills and those needed for work, especially among younger workers
  • Using collaboration technologies viewed as the most important digital workplace skill for workers over the next five years
  • Previous research from Salesforce and IDC suggests that nine in 10 UK workers will need to learn new skills by 2030

Salesforce, the global leader in CRM, has published its Global Digital Skills Index, revealing a growing global  digital skills crisis and the urgent need for action.

Based on insights from over 23,500 respondents in 19 countries, the Index looks at workers’ readiness to acquire the key digital skills needed by business today and over the next five years. Over two-thirds (70%) of workers in the UK don’t feel equipped to learn the digital skills needed by businesses now, rising to four in five (80%) that don’t feel equipped for the future. This compares to 72% globally who don’t feel equipped now, and 76% who don’t feel equipped for the future.

Asked about how they feel about the rate of technological change in the workplace, 43% of UK workers reported feeling ‘overwhelmed’, while a quarter (26%) said they were ‘fearful’. Despite these concerns, just 19% of workers in the UK are very actively involved in digital skills learning and training programs. 

Zahra Bahrololoumi, UKI CEO, Salesforce, said: “Reskilling is clearly a national priority and we all have a responsibility to help people navigate learning and equip them to seize the opportunities of a digital-first future. By using our scale, ecosystem, and resources as a platform for change, we can provide alternative pathways to training, often free and online, to ensure that our increasingly connected world stands for success across all of society.”

The global digital skills gap

This gap is a concern – but it also presents an opportunity. With companies around the world rapidly transitioning to digital-first models, the demand for employees with digital skills has soared. The Salesforce Index’s overall global score for digital readiness, assessed in terms of preparedness, skill level, access, and active participation in digital up-skilling, is currently only 33 out of 100. The UK scores a total of 21 out of 100.

 The countries represented in the survey ranged from 63 to 15, highlighting that while certain countries feel more digitally ready than others, there is an urgent need for global investment to close the digital skills gap and build a more inclusive workforce.

RAND Europe’s recent The Global Digital Skills Gap report indicates that certain countries will be more impacted by the digital skills gap than others, depending on their economic structure, industries and labor distribution.  Emerging nations are most confident about digital readiness.

Source:  Salesforce – to read the full story click here