The study “The European Digital Decade and Autonomy” aims to produce an independent expert opinion and assess the 2030 targets set by the Digital Compass and the Commission’s overall digital strategy. The document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).
Key elements related to digital skills include the opinion that the targets of the Digital Decade for 2030 are too ambitious, namely 80 % of the population with basic digital skills, unless stronger initiatives are taken. In addition, due to the COVID-19 crisis, there is also a risk of widening the gap between men and women employed as ICT specialists in the coming years.
As regards the digital transformation of businesses, the target for SMEs with a basic level of digital intensity is ambitious, but as SMEs dominate in the European economy, it could have a major impact. The report states that there is still a large digital gap between SMEs and large enterprises, citing data from 2019, where only 20 % of enterprises provided digital skills training to employees, 68 % of which were large enterprises and only 15 % of SMEs.
The study also addresses the importance of digital skills for citizens to participate in society and institutions, and the skills needed to access and succeed in the labour market, and highlights the necessary measures to ensure that all digital skills targets are met, taking into account the measures currently being implemented.
⚠ disclaimer: The text has been automatically translated from the European platform Digital Skills and Jobs. If you have found errors in the text, please contact digikoalice@npi.cz