Failure to invest in digital skills could hamper the UK’s ability to compete economically on the world stage, according to research released by Barclays.
The Barclays Digital Development Index, which is based on the results of a survey of nearly 10,000 people, found that the UK came fourth in terms of readiness to compete in the digital economy behind the likes of Estonia, South Korea and Sweden.
In addition, the research highlighted a perceived disconnect between policies which seek to support digital engagement in the UK – which score well overall – and a lack of confidence in digital skills at an individual level among British workers.
Commenting on the findings, Ashok Vaswani, CEO, Barclays UK, said: “We urgently need to secure London and the UK as the world’s pre-eminent powerhouse of tech innovation as well as make sure that the UK has the digital skills and expertise to compete globally across all sectors and industries.
“At a time when the UK is considering its future outside the European Union, we have to remember that competing in the digital economy isn’t simply a European question, it’s about a global race that will define how prosperous and successful we are for decades to come.
“With the referendum sending a clear message that too many parts of the UK do not feel they are sharing in the promise of global prosperity, now is the time to take everyone in society forward in the digital age,” he added.
Security threat
The research showed that UK confidence is particularly low when it comes to the protection of both data and devices.
According to the findings, UK workers are less likely to keep their electronic devices (phones and laptops) secure than their counterparts in Brazil, South Africa or China.
Only 13% of people in the UK use password-generating software to create hard-to-crack passwords, compared to 32% in China and 32% in India, the research showed.
The reluctance to safeguard their devices, the research noted, poses a potential risk of dangerous data leaks as cyber criminals find increasingly sophisticated ways to access peoples’ data.
Lagging in coding skills
Additionally, the research shows that the UK ranks just seventh out of 10 for coding skills and content creation.
Only 16% of people in the UK, the research highlighted, would be very comfortable building a website, compared to 39% in Brazil and 37% in India.
Some 11% of people in the UK said they would be very comfortable creating a mobile app or game. Some 22% of people in the USA said the same, followed by 27% in Brazil and 33% in India.