Skills for a digital world

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are profoundly changing the skill profile of jobs. Skill development policies need to be overhauled to reduce the risk of increased unemployment and growing inequality. To thrive in the digital economy, ICT skills will not be enough and other complementary skills will be needed, ranging from good literacy and numeracy skills through to the right socio-emotional skills to work collaboratively and flexibly. 56% of the adult population have no ICT skills or have only the skills necessary to fulfil the simplest set of tasks in a technology-rich environment. Young people, however, are much more ICT proficient than older generations. Skills policies should seek to: strengthen initial learning; anticipate and respond better to changing skill needs; increase the use of workers’ skills; and improve incentives for further learning.