India improves skills proficiency in technology but lags in Data Science

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh stood one of the top three performing states with high proficiency in business and technology skills. This was disclosed in the Coursera Global Skills Report 2022 released on Tuesday.

The government's coordinated approach to skill development, public-private partnerships, and synergy through institutions like Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) has reportedly created a robust pool of skilled workers.

The state learners have 100 per cent proficiency in security engineering, operating systems, and computer networking. The Key India insights from the report points out that Indian learners are focusing on building technology skills. With strong proficiency in key tech skills like cloud computing, theoretical computer science, and web development, India now ranks 56th globally in the domain compared to the 66th rank last year. Cloud Computing is India's strongest technology skill with 74 per cent proficiency.

However, despite recognising its one of the thrust areas, Indian learners continue to lag in data science skills. Slipping by 12 ranks, India scores low on foundational and specialized data science skills - Data Visualisation (10 per cent), Statistical Programming (14 per cent), Data Management (22 per cent) among others. The strongest skill in the domain for India continues to be Machine Learning (41 per cent).

The trend shows that learners in India are concentrating on financial skills. The governments, along with online learning platforms, fin-techs and experts in the financial sector, have been emphasizing the need for new-age financial skills. According to the GSR, learners in India are over-indexed in skills such as investment management (1.38 xs), blockchain (1.33x) and risk management (1.22x).

Interestingly, West Bengal that is hitting headlines for all the wrong reasons, leading the Indian states in terms of skills proficiency. West Bengal is ranked 1st state across the three domains. The state showed the highest levels of digital skills proficiency in the country, outpacing Karnataka 4th in technology and 6th in data science), the state where India's Silicon Valley - Bengaluru is situated. Learners in West Bengal also earned a perfect 100 per cent proficiency in more than 10 skills, across the three domains, such as leadership, management, human resources, cloud computing, computer programming, ML, and data analysis.

Rapid digital transformation is precipitating the need for young Indian professionals to upgrade and advance their human and digital skills to thrive in the new economy. Coursera's latest Global Skills Report (GSR) 2022 reveals that in terms of overall skills proficiency, India has slipped 4 places to be ranked at the 68th position globally.

In Asia, India stands at the 19th position. The report also shows an increase in India's technology proficiency levels from 38% to 46%, with the country strengthening its position by six spots. On the other hand, proficiency in data science has dipped from 38% in 2021 to 26 per cent in 2022, leading to a 12-rank drop.

The Global Skills Report draws data from 100 million learners in more than 100 countries who have used Coursera to develop a new skill during the past year. The report benchmarks three of the most in-demand skill areas driving employment in the digital economy - business, technology, and data science. For the first time, this year's report also highlights changes in ranking for each country, and state-specific data for the U.S. and India, where regional variations are notable. According to the GSR 2022, Indian learners in southern states perform better than those in states in the north across all the three domains.

"The Great Resignation and automation are mandating stronger investments in human capital, as institutions must prioritize developing the high-demand digital and human skills required to build a competitive and equitable workforce," said Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO. "Our data shows these skills are not equally distributed, and students and low-wage workers need access to flexible, affordable, and fast-tracked pathways to entry-level digital jobs that offer a foundation for a stronger and more inclusive economy."

"Industry reports estimate that 28 million new technology jobs will be created in India by 2025. This year's GSR signals a significant need for Indian learners to bridge the critical skills gap, especially in data science, to ensure this digital potential does not turn into a lost opportunity," said Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, India and APAC, Coursera. "Strong industry-academia-government collaboration that focuses on the rapid deployment of high-quality digital and human skills training would be key to ensuring that the Indian workforce remains resilient and competitive amid rapid technological transformation."