The demand for digital skills in the workplace increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic as more interactions shifted online. Over the past two years, the cloud became a vital tool for organizations to keep up with the new normal (Techwire Asia).

The Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce report by Alpha Beta commissioned by Amazon Web Services (AWS), found that an estimated 86 million people across seven countries (Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Singapore) will need to undertake digital skills training over the next year alone. The research revealed that workers need more digital skills to adapt to job changes due to Covid-19, and that organisations report improved employee productivity after training them in digital skills.

A recent report published by SIA, International Talent Mobility, highlighted that increased workplace digitalisation has created a demand for basic digital skills (e.g., digital collaboration software) as well as advanced digital skills: knowledge of business ICT systems, tools for software and web development and configuration, data analysis skills; we also see some growth in setting up networks and databases.

There is also evidence of skills trends linked to business transformation: sales and marketing to help enterprises affected by the pandemic develop or expand online shops or digital sales strategies; and creative design skills, new ways of interacting with customers, and new management strategies for a remote workforce.

However, the study conducted by Alpha Beta showed that while 97% of organizations understand the need to train their workers on digital skills, only 29% are implementing to do so. Two in three workers reported they are not confident that they are gaining digital skills fast enough to meet future career needs.

The research showed that the two most common barriers to implementing training are the limited awareness of training options available and a lack of time to pursue the training. Underserved communities such as women, at-risk youth, unemployed, rural communities and low-skilled workers face additional challenges such as a lack of financial resources to access digital devices and the internet and a lack of employer support.

The report makes a number of recommendations for governments, training providers, employers and workers to address the barriers to undertaking digital skills training. These include the promotion of courses through official government platforms and portals; micro-courses available on-demand; development of digital skills frameworks to guide both employers and workers; and financial and targeted support for underserved communities of workers.