Businesses could be set to face an increasing talent gap in the coming years as demand for digital skills continues to rise.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said 67% of UK firms currently have unfilled digital vacancies.
Its Delivering Skills for the New Economy report also expected 95% of UK businesses to see demand for digital skills grow.
While most firms are taking action to address this shortage, they are also focusing on the same pool of digital talent.
As a result, only 31% of the business community believe they will be able to secure these skills in the next three to five years.
Among smaller businesses, 69% say their digital skills needs are likely to peak over the next year or two.
To tackle this, the CBI said the Government should set a target for the entire UK workforce to have basic digital skills by 2025.
It also recommended that businesses should better understand their digital skills needs, and that those skills should be at the heart of a national retraining scheme.
Matthew Fell, chief UK policy director at the CBI, said:
“Digital skills are absolutely fundamental to getting people ready for the future of work and helping companies make the most of the opportunities technology brings.
“It’s essential we tackle the UK’s digital skills crunch now to remain internationally competitive, and promote the UK as the number one place for businesses to invest.”
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