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A survey of 23,000 people across 19 countries revealed that 76 percent of global workers don’t feel ready to operate in a digital-first world, but only 28 percent of them are actively seeking digital skills training, according to Salesforce, the cloud-based software company behind the survey.
Salesforce officials said its new Global Digital Skills index documents a “growing digital skills crisis,” which they argue demands urgent action. The survey suggests a major gap between everyday digital skills and those needed for work, especially among young people.
The U.S. scored 36 out of 100 in terms of digital readiness, underscoring the fact that even in the most developed countries, a major gap exists between the everyday digital skills most people possess and those needed for the workplace.
The index’s scores for digital readiness were based on preparedness, skill level, access and active participation in digital upskilling. The countries represented in the country scored from 15 to 63, highlighting the wide range of digital readiness globally.
According to survey findings, only 31 percent of Gen Z respondents said they possess the advanced digital workplace skills needed by businesses now, but more than a third of them said they are actively training to obtain the skills they believe will be needed over the next five years. In contrast, just 12 percent of baby boomers reported they were seeking such training.
The findings suggest that skills in collaboration technology are seen as the most critical digital workplace skill for employees over the next five years. Many respondents reported themselves skilled with pedestrian collaboration technology like social media, but only 25 percent of respondents reported skill with the more sophisticated collaboration technologies required in the workplace.