Research conducted by FDM Group has discovered that UK firms are concerned about a ‘shortfall’ in digital skills in 2021.

Almost two-thirds (65%) of businesses surveyed said they see a skills shortfall as one of the most significant challenges facing their company.

The data, obtained via a Censuswide poll of 200 business decision-makers in large and medium-sized companies, surveyed company attitude towards hiring and improving IT and digital skills for 2021.

Data revealed that 77% of decision-makers admitted that they already have plans to increase digital skills training budgets this year to support continued remote working. Additionally, 70% plan to offer existing workers reskilling or refresher tech and IT courses, to help improve digital skills.

Commenting on the results, Rod Flavell, CEO for FDM Group, said: “The Covid-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc for businesses, with millions of workers missing out on vital digital skills development due to furlough and remote working constraints.

“With the added pressure of strict lockdown measures forcing many people to juggle childcare alongside their day job, companies need to move quickly to increase digital skills provision as a matter of urgency.”

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Over two-thirds (68%) also agreed that they will increase their IT headcount to support remote working, with almost half (47%) of decision-makers revealing that they have no plans to return to the office until at least 2022, even if it is deemed safe to do so later in the year.

“With remote working now a key part of our daily lives, the need for every employee to be digitally adept, computer literate and cyber safe should be top of the boardroom agenda. That’s why a business should seek to hire in the latest IT talent, to boost technology skills within the workforce and help aid a speedy recovery in increasingly challenging times.”

There has been a concerted effort in the past to boost digital skill uptake across Scotland, with organisations such as business education charity Young Enterprise Scotland (YES).

YES sped up the rollout of a programme in April last year aimed at helping the organisation develop and deliver skills training to young people.

Research conducted by Lloyds Bank at the height of the first lockdown indicated a ‘concerning lack of basic digital skills’ among people in Scotland, with one-in-four being unable to use the internet by themselves prior to lockdown.

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In a separate poll carried out after lockdown measures were introduced, more than one-third (35%) said they are actively learning and honing their digital skills.

However, this recent concern about digital skills shortfall comes after a report from early last year revealed that a lack of digital skills in employed staff was costing £10 billion in lost productivity. This was before people began working from home en-masse.

This is likely due to Scottish firms previously showing a ‘lack of interest‘ in building digital skills. This is according to a report by the Business Digital Index in 2019, which warned that the lack of these essential skills “could be hampering opportunities to boost sales or productivity”.