What is a digital skills gap?

A digital skills gap broadly refers to a gap between a business’s need for a specific skill set – such as programming or cybersecurity skills – and the skills that their workforce currently has. Digital skills themselves can include areas such as:

• Digital teleconferencing tools, such as for remote meetings;
• Project management software;
• Cloud-based software;
• Computer programming languages such as Python and Java;
• Cybersecurity knowledge, such as understanding phishing risks;
• Data analysis skills;
• Marketing and social media skills.

Reasons for digital skills gaps in the workplace

In this next section, we’ll look at some of the core reasons behind digital skills gap in the workplace. Some or all may apply to your business, and may provide you with the tools to identify the reasons behind any digital skills gaps in your current talent pool.

Flexible working 

As businesses adopt remote working and flexible working policies, they might become more reliant on project management software and cloud-based communications and sharing tools. Their employees, therefore, heavily benefit from understanding how to use these digital tools in an efficient, streamlined way. However, not all employees will feel confident using these skills, or they may have a skills profile that demonstrates some but not all the digital skills they need.

Lack of education

According to a report by Oxford Learning College, young people from a low socioeconomic background can often face a disadvantage when it comes to digital skills. This might be due to a lack of access to the internet or the relevant digital devices. It may also mean that they lack access to digital skills training courses that may enable them to upskill.

Growing digital industries

Many industries are growing to meet the demands of an increasingly digitalised society. IBIS Industries found that some of the fastest growing industries in the UK include language learning software developers, immersive technology, fraud detection software developers, and social media. Employers in these industries are likely to be looking out for highly specialised skill sets, and may hire specialist recruiters in order to headhunt the right candidates to fill roles.

Why is it important to close a digital skills gap in your business

While the reasons behind digital skills gaps are varied, there are many general negative effects of having a skills gap, which could apply to any business with this issue. These can include:

• Low productivity.
• High error rates.
• Low morale.
• High or increased turnover.
• Increased operational costs.
• Can’t meet business objectives.
• Competitors in the industry overtaking your business.
• Revenue loss.
• Business can’t expand.

Whatever the reason behind your digital skills gap, closing it may help you to save time and money in the long-term. If your employees aren’t well-equipped to deal with the needs of your customers, this might also have a negative knock-on effect in terms of sales, or business reputation. 

Ways to close a digital skills gap

Closing a digital skills gap can be made easier once you have the right strategy for tackling it in place. Below, we provide a few suggestions for doing so.

Assessing your digital skills pool

Firstly, assessing the digital skills your team does and doesn’t have could be a good first step to closing a digital skills gap. It may be that your team has certain strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps you have staff who understand social media marketing, but don’t have strong data analytics skills that would complement this. By gaining a better understanding of the skills your team needs in order to meet customer expectations and meet business objectives, you can identify the digital skills gaps you have.

Constantly identify new skills gaps

Identifying a skills gap isn’t usually just a one-off exercise. It might be useful to regularly spend time identifying any gaps in your talent pool. This is as new technology becomes popular and other competitors identify quicker, smarter ways of achieving their objectives.

Consider reading up on new technology as it arises, and think about whether it could enhance your current workflows. Your staff may also have suggestions if they are interested in technology, and so it might be useful to discuss or brainstorm any new solutions as you see fit.

Providing upskilling opportunities

Once you have identified key digital skills gaps in your workforce, you can choose to provide opportunities for your staff to upskill. Digital skills training may not have been on offer to your staff previously, and gender inequality may play a role when it comes to IT skills training and employment opportunities.

By empowering all of your employees to learn the crucial digital skills they need to progress professionally, you can help to secure the future of your business in an increasingly digitalised business landscape. What’s more, by helping less confident employees to learn digital skills, you may tap into a hidden talent pool. Not all of your most talented employees will feel confident about learning new skills, particularly if they are prone to overthinking or perfectionism. 

However, attention-to-detail and long-term persistence can be valuable skills when harnessed effectively, particularly when it comes to digital skills like data analysis, or even programme language learning. 

Expanding your talent pool

When it comes to highly advanced digital skills such as programming languages, it may not be as simple as upskilling your current staff. Instead, for example, you could find it more cost-effective to hire a qualified computer programmer to help you meet these challenges.

Hiring for these roles might involve creating a list of the most desirable skills a candidate will have, thinking about what skills might become increasingly useful in the future. This may be particularly important if you are looking to stay relevant and progressive in a competitive field. One option could be to hire a highly promising intern, and train them up in the skill set you need, provided that you can give them the right training.

If finding the right candidate for you is proving too difficult, you could consider partnering with an external contractor that specialises in the skills you’re looking for. You could also hire a specialist recruiter who is able to headhunt the right candidates, or attending industry conventions where you can meet and converse with a wider range of talent. 

A digital skills gap can be closed with the right approach. Consider upskilling staff in the skills you need, or tapping into a wider talent pool to find the employees with the expertise you need. Identifying digital skills gaps isn’t typically a one-off solution: you’ll likely need to reidentify gaps as your industry evolves or undergoes further digital transformation.