Digitally Skilled Workforce Contribute ₹10.9 Lakh Crore To India's GDP: Study

According to a study by U.S.-based consulting firm Gallup Indian workers who are equipped with digital skills add ₹10.9 lakh crore to the country’s GDP. As per the study, as many as 91 per cent of workers in India who have advanced digital skills have higher job satisfaction than those who have basic digital skills. "Digital skills yield big economic benefits. We have seen dividends for India's GDP to the tune of about $508 billion. People who have advanced digital skills command higher salaries," said Rohit Kar, regional director (Australia, New Zealand, and India) and managing consultant of Gallup. The study has listed 26 skills including cybersecurity, cloud-based tools, the internet of things, and technical support amongst others, which are required by workers to be digitally equipped. Of the 26 skills, the workers in India have expressed interest in additional training for 22.

However, despite this, the shortage of digital talent continues to be a challenge for employers in the country revealed the study. 83 per cent of workers in India are non-digital workers. Only 7 per cent of workers are equipped with basic digital skills, whereas 8 per cent of employees are equipped with advanced digital skills. As many as 88 per cent of organisations in the country experience acute shortages in digital talent and 49 per cent of organisations view the shortage of digital talent to be a significant challenge. "While digital workers across the region generally experience gains in job satisfaction, there are differences per country. Generally, workers in middle-income economies, such as India, Indonesia, and Thailand, report both the highest overall levels of satisfaction, as well as the largest satisfaction advantage for advanced digital workers over basic digital workers," the study said.

The study was conducted among 3,000 employees with access to the internet in 19 countries in the APAC region such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, amongst others. In India, the study covered 2,005 employees and 769 employers.