"Digital transformation is happening at a rapid pace across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region — from the way we work to the way we live. We are seeing information technology drive significant transformation at the individual, organizational, and macroeconomic levels. To study these dynamics in a global context Gallup collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to conduct one of the largest international surveys on digital skills to date. Gallup surveyed more than 30,000 workers with access to the internet in 19 countries — comprising 67% of the total value that jobs requiring advanced digital skills add to the global economy — and surveyed more than 9,000 employers. Among the 19 countries included are Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. The data show nearly three-quarters of workers in these countries do not use a computer in their jobs, suggesting there is a significant imperative — and opportunity — to bridge the skills gap between the region’s workforce and its business needs.
The results consistently show that workers who obtain digital skills provide immense economic value to businesses and workers worldwide and APAC, increasing gross domestic product (GDP), revenue, innovation, wages, job security, and job satisfaction for businesses that integrate these technologies and the workers who acquire the needed skill sets. While both workers and organizations cite strong interest in digital skills training, companies around the region are struggling to fill vacant jobs that require these skills.
Gallup’s analysis also found a number of practical obstacles to hiring digital workers, including a notable disconnect between how much employers say they value nontraditional education certifications, such as industry certifications, and their actions when evaluating candidates’ resumes. Specifically, the study found a self-imposed skills gap in entry-level technology job requirements, where employers are slightly more likely to prefer or require a bachelor’s degree than they are to prefer or require digital skills certifications, despite the fact that managers give greater hiring preference to candidates with digital certifications than they do to candidates with a non-computer-science bachelor’s degree." (Executive summary)