95% Indian workers need more digital skills

Hyderabad: Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com company, released findings from a new research report showing that 95 per cent of workers in India say they need more digital skills – the ability and knowledge to apply digital technologies for tasks in the workplace to cope with changes in their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report found that over the next year, the number of India workers requiring digital skills projected to increase by 27.3 million, representing seven per cent of India's workforce. Despite this, only 45 per cent of employers in India have a training plan in place, which could affect their competitiveness in such areas as productivity, innovation, and employee retention.

The 'Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce' report, prepared by strategy and economics consulting firm AlphaBeta, and commissioned by AWS. The report also found that the ability to use cloud-based tools, such as cloud developer tools, online collaboration, accounting, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and cybersecurity skills will be the most in-demand skill required by employers by 2025. These skills are expected to be in high demand in businesses from healthcare to agriculture, fintech to media and entertainment.

Employers who support skills training programs see significant benefits, with 92 per cent reporting improved employee productivity, 92 per cent stating they were able to fast-track their digitization goals, 92 per cent achieving cost efficiencies, 90 per cent reporting higher employee retention, and 91 per cent seeing increased revenue.