The onset of the digital revolution has resulted in technological advances that are constantly evolving. A key element of concern to policymakers is the impact that these changes will have on the world of work and employment. This report reviews the history of the digital revolution to date, placing it in the context of other periods of marked technological advances and examining how technological change interacts with changes in institutions. Digital technologies have considerable disruptive potential, including making production much more flexible and information more readily available. While the information technology sector has been most affected to date, other sectors are rapidly changing with the diffusion of new technology. The report also examines three key vectors of change: automation of work, the incorporation of digital technology into processes, and the coordination of economic transactions through the digital networks known as 'platforms'.

This report uses data from Dice's partner, Burning Glass Technologies, to analyse over 6 million tech job postings throughout the United States from 2018 and 2019. It reports on which states, cities, occupations and skills have the most job growth, the employers that are looking to hire the most technologists, and provides state-by-state breakdowns on what's growing and why. The job postings data was filtered for 'Information Technology' jobs with hours that fall under 'Full Time', 'Part Time' and 'Not Listed', as well as job types that are categorized as 'Permanent', or 'Not Listed'. Year-over-year data was gathered by ranking the growth of top cities, occupations and skills that met minimum job post criteria. The datasets used for the 'Top Employers' section were gathered by using the above criteria, with an additional filter for job postings that only derive from employer sites. All other data incorporates job postings from employer sites, job boards, staffing agencies and free job boards. 2019 saw the growth of tech hubs across the US, the continued emergence of data-oriented occupations and skillsets, as well as increasing competition among businesses looking to hire. As 2020 progresses, more businesses are likely to put even more effort into hiring more tech professionals, which will mean that the time required to fill these positions will increase in tandem.

The U.S. labor market is as tight as it has been since the Great Recession, with unemployment at 4.1 per cent in December 2017. Yet employers continue to struggle to find the skilled labor they need. If job creation in the aggregate isn't solving the problem, how can we identify and address the specific places where supply isn't meeting demand? In this report, prepared for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, we examine the skills gap on an occupation-by-occupation basis. This is the best way to both understand the gap, and to close it. An overall surplus of workers doesn't offer much insight into the challenges of a specific industry looking to fill specific roles requiring specific skills. A crucial lesson of this research is that the skills gap is not singular; it is cumulative - the result of different gaps across different kinds of occupations. That is part of why addressing the skills gap has proven so elusive: it defies easy categorization.

The federal public service has ambitious plans to develop a transformational digital platform that will support innovation; enable delivery of user-centered, customized, and accessible services; and increase transparency and accountability. Such a platform is critical for meeting the public’s expectations for efficient and effective government. To move toward information technology modernization, Canada’s public service must attract and retain world-class talent with the digital skills, experience, and mindset to drive this change. However, government is hamstrung by a skills gap. Not only does Canada suffer from a shortage of professionals with the skills government needs, but the people who possess digital skills are increasingly in demand in other sectors. The skills shortage is most acute in areas including artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, the Internet of Things, cloud-based development, and matching technology to the specific requirements of users. Virtually all industrial sectors are now increasingly reliant on technology, and demand for skills has increased more swiftly than supply. For decades, Canada’s public service has been an employer of choice, offering opportunities to serve, coupled with job security, benefits and career advancement. However, there are some issues that are limiting government’s ability to attract highly skilled candidates. While government offers a work environment that aligns with the aspirations of many young job seekers—particularly with respect to serving a social purpose—some aspects of bureaucracy are less appealing. The work environment is perceived by some to be hierarchical and slow moving, with limited opportunities for advancement compared to the private sector. Moreover, the federal public service’s complex rules and processes, including a lack of flexibility to negotiate compensation, put it at a disadvantage for attracting and retaining the best and brightest digital talent in a highly competitive market. While immigration has helped decrease the skills shortage in some sectors, public sector requirements and rules, such as the need for bilingualism, make it less easy to tap into this pool of workers. These issues are particularly vexing as they relate to the hiring of skilled women. Increasing the participation of women in digital roles advances the design and decision-making process and allows organizations to hire from a broader talent pool. The absence of diversity in general in the development of digital technologies has been shown to allow bias to be embedded into products and services. While senior roles in the federal public service have achieved something close to gender parity, women continue to be under-represented in technology roles. Most troubling is the significant decline in the percentage of young women in technology roles due to a smaller pool of women pursuing education in engineering, paired with an increase of demand for women talent by the private sector. So, what can be done to narrow this gap and attract a skilled and diverse workforce? An integrated strategy should include the following: 1. Demonstrate the political will to build a digitally ready public service Government must communicate the importance of talent and inclusion, and why the public service is a great place to work. 2. Benchmark and develop accountability mechanisms Apply accountability mechanisms, including measurable targets (which are distinct from quotas) and regular reporting, to set goals and track progress on the recruitment, development and advancement of digital talent. 3. Build a digitally ready and inclusive organizational culture The federal public service’s organizational culture must support building workplaces that are stimulating, rewarding, welcoming, inclusive, and provide access to state-of-the art tools to attract digitally ready talent. 4. Modernize human resources and hiring practices Core skills—especially in analytics, user experience, and artificial intelligence—are shifting away from “code warriors” and toward people who understand how to drive change enabled by technology. Government must update job classifications to reflect current skill needs and apply a critical lens through every stage of human resource processes. 5. Commit to new approaches to training While engineering and computer science remain important disciplines, for many jobs the foundation can be laid through a variety of roles to which the requisite technology skills can be added. New approaches to training offer alternative pathways to digital roles, support upskilling existing talent, and build on assets such as “soft skills” or sector knowledge. 6. Apply a gender and diversity lens across the value chain Progressive, high-performing organizations value diverse perspectives at every level. New tools, such as Gender Based Analysis Plus, inclusive design tools, and the Diversity Institute’s Diversity Assessment Tool, provide systematic approaches to open up the possibility of new approaches to “mainstream” inclusion. 7. Build public-private partnerships Collaborations with the private sector, post-secondary institutions, and non-governmental organizations can provide access to talent, new ideas, and innovative approaches. 8. Rebrand, market and promote government service The federal public service needs to build the skills pipeline by better communicating, through multiple channels, the challenges and rewards of a career—or even a stint—in government. Canada’s public service has charted ambitious goals and a bold path enabled by technology. It needs an equally bold strategy to attract diverse talent, particularly women, who can help it get there.

This report from the Australian Industry Group looks at what businesses need to do to prepare for the challenges of digital transformation. It includes advice for businesses planning for the future such as regular upskilling of their workforce to adapt to requirements of the digital economy and investment in research and development. Work practices also need review as automation transforms entire business processes. The report also argues that Australia's education and training system will need to build its capacity to meet the challenge of digital change., The report makes the following recommendations for education and training institutions: (1) school systems need a significant focus on providing digital and ICT literacy skills as all future workers will require these; (2) the VET sector needs to focus on higher level skills for enterprise systems and analytics, security and digital innovation; (3) education and training systems need to improve basic and advanced skills in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and with a new emphasis on the enterprise skills of creativity, complex problem solving and critical thinking; (4) there needs to be a renewed emphasis by education and training systems and companies on management development and workplace innovation, to drive companies through constant change; (5) companies and workers need to be provided with greater opportunities for new skilling whenever required as a result of constant new technologies and change; this includes the development of micro-credentials and lifelong learning initiatives; and (6) closer links between companies and the school, VET and university sectors are needed to benefit the business sector and the community through greater work readiness, access to new ideas and refreshing organisational culture.

This report analyses automation trends and its effect on employment in OECD countries. On average, robots are found to be associated with a reduction in employment in elementary occupations - those requiring the lowest levels of skills - and an increase in employment in high-skill occupation such as professionals and technicians. For occupations in the middle of the skills distribution the correlation is strong and negative. In general, therefore, these estimates do not support the hypothesis of labour market polarisation, i.e. an increase in both high-skill and low-skill employment. However, in a few countries - notably the United States - this report finds evidence of labour market polarisation.

The pace of development in the digital, biological and technological worlds is changing and disrupting the way we work and live. From 3D printed buildings, to self-driving taxis, to vertical farming, every part of the UK economy will be affected by this 'fourth industrial revolution'. Tomorrow's innovative companies and organisations rely on people who can marry subject expertise with skills and knowledge from outside their individual specialisms, and who approach projects with creativity. In short, the companies leading this industrial revolution need design skills. Modern design is no longer confined to particular sectors or occupations. The skills, principles and practices of design are now widely used across the economy, from banking to retail. Designers, too, have always drawn on a range of different skills, tools and technologies to deliver new ideas, goods and services. This is what makes design unique, and is how it makes products, services and systems more useful, usable and desirable in advanced economies around the world., This research examines the skills that differentiate design from other sectors in the UK economy. This study combines UK and US data to investigate for the first time the relationship between design skills and economic outcomes, focusing explicitly on productivity and innovation. It looks at the relationship between occupations and skills, and finds that where design skills are used, they contribute significantly to the wealth of the nation, greater productivity and more innovation. But it also provides a stark warning about the potential impact of underinvesting in these skills, and the need to better prepare for the economic, technological and political changes ahead. It is time to pay attention to the value of design.

Responsibility for developing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills in the UK involves a number of government departments and is embedded across a number of non-STEM specific policy areas. The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for the majority of STEM skills interventions. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has a cross-cutting role, including work on doctoral training and STEM inspiration and setting the national framework for science and technology. Other departments run individual STEM-related programmes and initiatives. Aside from the core teaching of STEM subjects, some of the most significant initiatives in terms of government spending are: (a) providing higher education institutions with additional money to support their teaching of very high-cost STEM subjects; (b) allocating capital funds to enhance higher education STEM teaching facilities; and (c) running university technical colleges, which were set up to offer 14- to 19-year-olds a combination of technical, practical and academic learning. This study examines whether the approach of the departments to boosting participation in the STEM education pipeline at all levels is likely to address the STEM skills challenge in a way that achieves value for money., This report examines three main areas: (1) government's understanding of the need for enhanced STEM skills in the workforce; (2) what the performance of the education pipeline shows about the effectiveness of past initiatives in delivering STEM skills; and (3) the opportunities and risks associated with the latest initiatives to enhance the development of STEM skills. In terms of value for money, the report concludes that some Dfe and BEIS initiatives are achieving positive results but there remains an urgent need for a shared vision of what is trying to be achieved and coordinated plans across government. The absence of a precise understanding of the STEM skills problem means the efforts of DfE and BEIS are not well prioritised and a better targeted approach is needed to demonstrate value for money. A number of recommendations are proposed.

The last five years have been marked by a flurry of research and reports trying to chart the contours of the changing world of work. 'The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030', added an unprecedented level of detail to the debate. The study challenged alarmism over projected widespread job automation. The authors analyzed not only the full spectrum of technological change, but also the potential effects of globalization, demographic shifts, environmental sustainability, urbanization, increasing inequality, and political uncertainty. This report argues that the convergence of these trends will likely result in a world of work requiring specific knowledge and skills, especially complex thinking and interpersonal capabilities. As the future of work unfolds, what makes us human is what will make us employable. But the pathway to sustained employment will not be linear. No single job will be a final destination. Maintaining a career will require a lifetime of learning. An education system fit for this evolving world - one which will value and strengthen essential human traits - will require significant reform.