India No. 1 In Digital Skills Readiness: Salesforce Study

Bengaluru: In digital skills readiness, India is No. 1, according to a global study by Salesforce. India topped with a score of 66 out of 100, followed by Brazil at 53, Thailand at 48, and Mexico at 47 in the Salesforce Global Index.

The index is based on a survey of over 23,500 workers in 19 countries. The average global readiness score is 33. In India, 72% of respondents say they are very actively learning digital skills to prepare themselves for the future of work. About 66% of respondents in India also said they feel very equipped with resources to learn digital skills.

Arundhati Bhattacharya, chairperson and CEO of Salesforce India, said the measures taken by the government and industry to create awareness about digital, and the skills required for it, are paying off. “The baby boomers are way ahead in adopting digital as it is a matter of survival, and they are reinventing themselves. India has done a few things right and this is a virtuous circle of learning the right things at the right time,” she said.
The report said that baby boomers in India are leading the way with 83% of respondents very ‘actively’ learning and training for skills needed now. The pandemic has accelerated digital skilling efforts as professionals are working remotely in a hybrid work environment.

“Online platforms became available as the digital transformation took root across the world, and the need for more and more skilled people became evident,” Bhattacharya said.

Digital marketing has been ranked as the top workplace skill in India. But only 39% of respondents rating their workplace digital marketing skills level as ‘advanced’.

According to IDC, the Salesforce economy in India will create 1.3 million jobs and $66.4 billion in new business revenues by 2026. It said Salesforce is driving immense growth for its partner ecosystem in India, which will make $6.5 for every $1 Salesforce makes locally by 2026. Globally, skills in collaboration technology, like Slack, are viewed as the most important skills needed by businesses today, with only 25% of respondents with advanced collaboration technology skills needed specifically for the workplace.

“The pandemic has enabled us to tap into talent that would have been difficult to access. Collaborative tools are absolutely required, especially to tap into talent in the hinterlands of India,” Bhattacharya said.

Source: ToI