These are straightforward skills like communicating using tools like email and Teams or solving problems by searching online.
These days, everyone needs digital skills: all manual jobs have “digital touchpoints” from finding and getting work on a digital device to checking wages on electronic payslips. As ever, the most vulnerable have the least skills. But the report also found that everyone, even those working in Tech or with higher levels of education and wages, lack basic digital skills.
A digital skills gap is bad for business, individuals and society. There's a huge risk for business - 40% can't do all the basics of staying safe and legal online. And huge benefits for those that upskill their workers. Here's a summary of the headline facts and stats from the Lloyds/ Futuredotnow report.
On our part, we've noticed a jump in the number of organisations who come to us interested in improving their workforce skills and confidence. For example, it was a target audience for 71% of organisations who did our planner last quarter, as opposed to 54% the quarter before. We think this great. Because everyone needs to play a role in ending the digital divide, it can't just be the responsibly of charities/ the public sector. And it doesn't matter where the help/ hook that gets you to to use digital comes from because it helps you thrive in all areas of your life.