New global research launched by Qlik, has revealed an escalating skills gap preventing business decision-makers asking the right questions of data and machines.
Despite McKinsey reporting that up to 800 million global workers will lose their jobs by 2030 as a result of automation and robotics, and Gartner hailing data literacy at the must-have skill in the workplace, most business decision-makers (76%) lack confidence in their ability to read, work, analyze and argue with data. The highest level of doubt in data skills can be found among European executives (83%), followed by those in APAC (80%) and the US (67%).
Jordan Morrow, Head of Data Literacy at Qlik, comments: “Data is the new basis for competition, relied upon by global enterprises to derive insights and win the marketplace. However, an organization’s ability to succeed in this digital era is heavily dependent on its employees’ abilities to learn a new language. The language of data. The fact that those leading the business are struggling to get to grips with data is not just preventing them from thriving in their own leadership position, it is also hampering their ability to drive a data cultural change across the business.”
“In response to this extreme data literacy deficiency, Gartner has predicted that 80% of companies will initiate competency development in the next two years. There’s still time for organizations to win big with a powerful collective of robotics, automation and data literate workers, but urgent action is needed to steal a competitive edge.”
In a new global report, Qlik reveals insights into data illiteracy and offers practical advice for how to empower all employees with the data, tools and learning to achieve personal success and capitalize on an unprecedented economic opportunity. Key findings include:
Morrow continues: “As organizations look to be data driven, it is inevitable that those employees who can read, work, analyze and argue with data will be able to contribute more to their roles and organizations. Companies should be capitalizing on enthusiasm among the workforce and identifying data champions who can drive the program for data literacy. With organizations being made up of very different people, parts, and pieces, this will need to be done on multiple levels, with the different data personalities across the business needing tailored support. Strong mentoring and stewardship will help to create the right culture where anyone can thrive – whatever level they are starting from.”
The new report features insights, opinions and best practice advice from a range of industry experts and data leaders, including: