For the UK to be a true digital leader there’s one thing that’s for certain – We need to address the skills gap. According to Make or Break: The UK’s Digital Future, a recent report from the House of Lords, digital and technology competency should be considered complementary to numeracy and literacy and as much part of our education. 

The international labour market is changing and the UK is no different. The digital revolution has fundamentally changed the way we do business and will see the way we recruit personnel change too. The entire economy is becoming digitised. More efficient manufacturing processes, automated transportation, the use of robots in surgery, analysis of big data across healthcare and medicine — There are very few sectors that aren’t affected by the digital revolution. With such technological advancements, some economists have estimated that 35% of current jobs could be at risk from automation.

With such a high percentage of current jobs allegedly at risk, does this mean the UK labour market will suffer?

Mind the gap.

Baroness Morgan, Chair of the Digital Skills Committee states in the report released in February, “Digital is everywhere, with digital skills now seen as vital life skills. It’s obvious, however, that we’re not learning the right skills to meet our future needs.” 

Talk about the ‘skills gap’ is never far from the news. In an article for The Guardian last year, Matt Cynnamon, outgoing director of General Assembly UK referenced a study that took place towards the end of 2013. The investigation, carried out in conjunction with O2, suggests that Britain will require 750,000 skilled digital workers by 2017. Failure to reach this figure could cost the UK up to £2 billion each year. Taking into account the fact that 27% of all job growth in London last year was within the tech and digital sector, there’s no question that a technological transition is taking place. 

The next two decades will be crucial for UK workers. Whereas the industrial revolution created vast opportunities for low-skilled workers through the introduction of factory systems, the digital revolution has created jobs for highly skilled workers in roles that barely even existed five years ago – Big Data architects, iOS developers, data scientists and analysts to name just a few well known examples. Historically, in order to counteract the introduction of new technologies, workers have developed new skills and through the digital revolution, the same development will be required; this comes down to education. 

Digital education, education, education.

Training and developing our workforce will be vital to UK economy’s growth. The House of Lords’ prediction that as much as 35% of the UK’s current jobs could be replaced over the next two decades through automation is a difficult one to measure, but a realistic suggestion nonetheless. It’s not all doom and gloom though; just because certain job functions may become redundant over time, doesn’t mean that no jobs will be created in their wake. Like the big data architects and iOS developers before them, new roles, requirements and functions will be created as technology changes. For example, more technology means more data, which requires data scientists for analysis and improvements. Likewise, companies that are more digital are at a much greater risk from cyber hackers, so security roles will also continue to see a significant rise. 

In the next decade we’ll continue to see the creation of technical roles that have never existed before as new technologies are introduced and digital strategies start to streamline business processes. 

We think of English and Maths as fundamental subjects at school level; a basic understanding of each is vital to day-to-life. According to the report from the Baroness Morgan, the same should be said for digital skills. Many entry-level roles require a level of interaction with basic digital technologies. Keeping ICT as a core competency, much like literacy and numeracy, will ensure that the UK can remain at the forefront of the digital revolution.  

The report by the House of Lords recommends that, “…the incoming government creates a digital agenda, with the goal of securing the UK’s place as a leading digital economy within the next five years”. 

Unless we adapt our digital strategy from a Government level, we will never universally plug the skills gap and meet both the demand for digital skills in the workplace, or our full economic potential as a digital world leader. 

Austin Fraser is an award winning, specialist IT and Engineering recruiter who specialise in sourcing specialists. It's our mission to break the perception of 'stereotypical recruiters' and demonstrate that recruitment, when done well, is an excellent and consultative process. 

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