More than three-quarters of Singapore workers have “advanced” or “intermediate” everyday digital skills such as social media and digital communication, according to the Global Digital Skills Index by customer relationship management solutions provider Salesforce.
However, these skills do not necessarily translate to the core workplace digital skills needed by businesses to drive recovery, resilience and growth.
Only 36% of Singapore workers feel very prepared with workplace digital skills, such as using collaboration, digital administrative, encryption and cybersecurity, digital marketing, e-commerce tools.
Photos: Salesforce Global Digital Skills Index
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Moreover, 73% do not feel equipped to learn the digital skills needed by businesses now, and 71% don’t feel equipped for the future. Despite that, only 29% are actively involved in digital skills learning and training programmes today.
This is a cause for concern as the digital skills gap has an impact on the economy. India’s digital skills gap, for instance, has a GDP growth risk of an average of 2.3% every year.
“Our research shows that we still have work to do in equipping Singaporeans for the future of work, which will be pivotal to the recovery, resilience and growth of our economy,” says Sujith Abraham, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Salesforce ASEAN.
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“Businesses play a critical role in collaborating with other organisations in the ecosystem, to ensure the right kinds of training and recruitment opportunities scale up to match digital demand and reach all aspects of society equally,” he adds.
Salesforce’s own commitment includes equitable access to digital skills through its free online learning platform Trailhead, which has helped more than 3.7 million people learn new skills for the future of work, including 85,000 in ASEAN.
To further encourage Singaporeans to kickstart their digital skills learning, Salesforce has launched Singapore Trailmixes, which are six unique Singapore-themed digital learning paths on Trailhead. They include the Merlion Trailmix, which covers digital marketing, and the Mandai Trailmix, which is focused on data analytics.
Salesforce is also working with SkillsFuture Singapore to help workers reskill and upskill.
Photo: Salesforce Global Digital Skills Index
Main Photo: Brooke Cagle/ Unsplash
