A NEW report reveals that over half of Edinburgh workers believe the lack of digital skills will hamper business growth.
The Nature of the Digital Skills Gap report also reveals that digital skills could determine 61% of British business growth.
Authors AND Digital reveal that in Edinburgh the percentage of respondents with no digital training is 5% higher than in the rest of the UK. Over one quarter believe their skillset does not match their job demands.
However, almost two in ten say their businesses do not offer learning opportunities to solve this matter.
Almost half of employees at businesses who offer training stated employers only regard teaching opportunities fruitful in clear tech-focused roles.
Dave Livesey, AND Digital Club Executive, said: “AND Digital estimates that over the next three years the UK workforce will require eight million individuals proficient in digital skills to close the current gap.
“Organisations in Edinburgh must prioritise digital upskilling – ensuring individuals, teams and organisations as a whole in the region are fit for a digital present and future.”
The investigation also showed that taking no action to fill this digital gap could risk more than £240bn before 2026.
The problem is also mirrored in the job market. From January until July 2022, almost one-quarter of UK-wide job offers required a digital skillset.
A significant handicap to this digital incompetence is the confusion on what falls under digital skills. Almost half of the 5,000 survey respondents categorised these as things like the ability to code and programme. Meanwhile, skills like evolving work methods to adapt to innovation ranked lower in the list.
