A staggering 91 percent of major UK businesses are upskilling staff digitally, contributing to a major digital transformation.
These business leaders are likely to refocus, redeploy, reskill, or upskill their workforce in line with digitisation of business processes.
They will invest over 4 percent of turnover in digitisation in a bid to stave off economic headwinds.
Major UK businesses are asking one in six employees to learn new skills to deliver digital business models, according to new research by Proactis.
Employees will add value to firms by learning about advanced tools such as new software, programme and coding, or new platforms that are revolutionising business. By combining talent and technology, organisations will be in a better position to manage digital processes into the future.
Is it a training priority?
The data suggests that the pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital investment. Pre-pandemic, just over half (51%) of UK businesses had invested in digital transformation.
This year, UK business leaders will invest 4.3 percent of annual turnover on a range of departments and services critical to digitally transforming business.
A third of major UK businesses view adoption of technology or digital processes as the biggest training priority this year. However, the research has found employees are not fully receiving the training that they need.
What does the future look like?
Proactis has discovered this continued investment in digital transformation will require equal investment in training teams for it to be a success.
One in four major businesses are already prioritising this by also digitising HR processes.
“Our research confirms British businesses are investing billions of pounds in digital evolution and transformation. The very process of switching to digital business models is causing major companies to rethink how they use their talent. No matter the sector, businesses investing in digital evolution and transformation must support their employees with the right training to ensure adoption,” says UK Market Director, Ilija Ugrinic.
“Without this, an investment with the capacity to drive growth can fall flat and businesses will fail in adapting to the ever-changing evolving opportunities and challenges they are faced with,” he adds.
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
