Digital Skills of Public Sector Employees for Digital Transformation

Abstract

Digital skills are essential for driving digital transformation efforts in organisations. The objective of the study was to investigate the digital skills of employees within the public sector to support digital transformation. The study aimed to understand the barriers and enablers towards the acquisition of digital skills by public sector employees. The study adopted a case study approach, and data was collected using a questionnaire and interviews with government organisations. The study found that there is a lack of advanced digital skills such as those related to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data and Internet of Things (IoT) as compared to a lower proportion of a lack of intermediate digital skills amongst employees. It was also noted that there is a shortage of qualified people with the appropriate digital skills to fill various positions in the sector. The results highlighted key enablers for developing digital skills such as financial resources, access to technology tools and formal training. The barriers to acquiring digital skills were noted as budget and infrastructure constraints, as well as a lack of agility in organisations. The study offers several recommendations for driving digital skills development in the public sector to support digital transformation.