95% workers want digital skills to adapt to job changes due to Covid: Study

But less than half the organisations have training plan in place, says report prepared by AlphaBeta and commissioned by AWS

Amazon Web Services, Inc (AWS), an Amazon.com company, released findings from a new research report showing that the need for digital skills training became more acute during the pandemic, with 95 per cent of workers in India reporting they need more digital skills. This includes the ability and knowledge to apply digital technologies for tasks in the workplace in order to cope with changes in their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report found that over the next year, the number of Indian workers requiring digital skills for their jobs is projected to increase by 27.3 million, representing 7 per cent of India’s workforce. Despite this, only 45 per cent of employers in India have a training plan in place, which could affect their competitiveness in such areas as productivity, innovation, and employee retention.

The “Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce” report, prepared by strategy and economics consulting firm AlphaBeta, and commissioned by AWS, surveyed 1,012 digitally skilled workers in both technology and non-technology roles, and 303 employers in India, with representation from public, private, and non-profit sectors of different sizes and industries.

“While the need for digital skills has been growing for years, the research shows that job changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic have accelerated the need for more training for both tech and non-tech workers on digital capabilities in India,” said Genevieve Lim, director for APAC, AlphaBeta (part of Access Partnership).“Organisations have accelerated their digitisation process to cope with the pandemic and ensure their long-term competitiveness.”

The report also found that the ability to use cloud-based tools, such as cloud developer tools, as well as online collaboration, accounting, and customer relationship management (CRM) software, will be the most in-demand skill required by employers by 2025, followed by technical support skills, and cybersecurity skills. It also highlights the need for more advanced cloud computing skills, including machine learning and cloud architecture design, which emerged as the fifth and sixth most in-demand digital skills by employers in India by 2025. These skills are expected to be in high demand in businesses from healthcare to agriculture, fintech to media and entertainment.

“Transitioning into a digital-first economy will help countries’ recovery from Covid-19 and secure a stronger economic future,” said Genevieve Lim of AlphaBeta. “There is an urgent need for governments to work together with employers, training providers, and workers to meet these diverse and growing digital learning needs.”

By 2025, 63 per cent of workers in India feel they will require training in cloud-related skills to progress in their careers. Among these workers who feel that they require training in cloud-related skills, 45 per cent feel that they need to learn how to make use of cloud-based tools in their work, 24 per cent of workers also feel that they will require training in migrating on-premises facilities to the cloud, and 32 per cent believe they will require cloud architecture design skills. Employers who support skill-training programmes see significant benefits, with 92 per cent reporting improved employee productivity, 92 per cent stating they were able to fast-track their digitisation goals, 92 per cent achieving cost efficiencies, 90 per cent reporting higher employee retention, and 91 per cent seeing increased revenue.

“Over the course of the pandemic, we have seen organizations of all sizes accelerate their digital transformation plans, driving an increased need for employers and their workers to advance skills training for cloud computing, cybersecurity, and machine learning,” said Rahul Sharma, President, Public Sector – AISPL (Amazon Internet Services Private Limited), AWS India and South Asia. “The Building Digital Skills for the Changing Workforce report shows an urgency for workers and employers to increase digital skills knowledge and maximize the benefits of technology to individuals and organisations. AWS is committed to collaborating with industry and government in India to address the digital skills shortage and stay ahead of the training curve.”

The lack of time to pursue training is the most commonly faced barrier to digital skilling, with 77 per cent of workers in India citing this. To address this barrier, workers can take courses in modular, micro-skills that are available on-demand, such as the Nasscom FutureSkills initiative, which curates learning content from global providers to train and certify IT professionals in emerging technologies, while governments can work with industry to develop short-term micro-skills training courses.

“Skilling at scale must be a national priority and become India’s competitive edge to enable the country to grow as the global powerhouse for developing technological talent,” said Debjani Ghosh, president, Nasscom. “To thrive in a digital future, new formats of skilling programmes on emerging technologies must be built and delivered at a massive scale.”

AWS said it is focused on breaking down barriers to help solve this challenge and is investing hundreds of millions of dollars globally as part of a global commitment to provide free cloud computing skills training to 29 million people. AWS offers over 500 free digital training courses, available to anyone with a desire to learn and an internet connection. AWS collaborates with higher education institutions, nonprofits, workforce development organizations, governments, and employers on a range of digital upskilling programmes. In India, this includes programmes like AWS re/Start, which is a free, full-time, 12-week programme that prepares unemployed, underemployed, and transitioning individuals for careers in cloud computing. Tech Mahindra Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Tech Mahindra Ltd. and Generation India, a non-profit organisation, recently announced they will support training unemployed and underemployed individuals in cloud computing through the AWS re/Start programme, extending the reach of the programme to more cities in India. AWS has already trained over one million individuals in India with cloud skills since 2017.