Public Perspectives: Digital Equity at Work

A notable 92% of jobs today require digital skills, but one-third of workers don’t have the foundational digital skills necessary to enter and thrive in today’s jobs. Closing this digital skill divide leads to higher pay, better business outcomes, and benefits to local economies. America needs a comprehensive policy strategy to close the digital skill divide. The National Skills Coalition (NSC)’s Digital Equity @Work campaign calls on state and federal policymakers to guarantee foundational digital skills for all, lifelong upskilling for current workers, and rapid re-skilling for those who’ve lost their job. Given the economic payoff of building digital skills, it’s not surprising that nearly two-thirds of voters (63%) would take advantage of an opportunity to build their digital skills to get a better job or advance in their career if offered to them. Amidst high demand for digital upskilling, 64% of voters believe that a serious problem facing America’s workers is lack of access to training programs that allow them to upgrade their skills to keep up with changing technologies in the workplace.