Developing digital skills in Economy 4.0

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to evaluate digital competence among employees working with high-tech devices and identify their level of compliance with the requirements set out in EU documents. The article contains an analysis of the literature on the subject, EU documents and survey results. A comparative analysis of the opinions of employees, managers and trade union representatives is carried out based on the results of a survey in an industrial company where stationary work is required. The results show that in the Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) region of Poland, the level of employee qualifications is average. People employed for a period of five years or less positively assessed their level of competence and were positive about the challenges ahead; they also expressed a high degree of motivation to learn in the future. The positions of the managers and the union representatives were similar. The main implications include the fact that the level of digital skills found may form the basis for necessary steps to be taken by companies and public institutions to upgrade employees’ skills. The article assesses the current level of digital competence of employees and the extent to which they adhere to the requirements of the literature, EU documents and national surveys.