Salesforce, a leading player in CRM, has published its Global Digital Skills Index revealing global employee sentiments and readiness to acquire the key digital skills needed by business today and over the next five years. In India 72% of respondents say they are very actively learning digital skills now to prepare themselves for the future of work. 66% of respondents in India also said they feel very equipped with resources to learn digital skills. The Index is based on a survey of over 23,500 workers in 19 countries, with an average global readiness score of 33 out of 100.
Digital skills needed by businesses today
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.
Digital marketing has been ranked as the top workplace skill in India with only 39% of respondents rating their workplace digital marketing skills level as ‘advanced’.
Reskilling the workforce
Globally (51%) of respondents and in India (54%) of respondents want to learn new skills to help them grow their current career. By harnessing the potential of existing workforces, businesses can speed progress towards closing their skills gaps.
The Index also reveals that globally, younger respondents have greater confidence and ambition to learn new skills — over one-third of Gen Z are ‘very actively’ learning and training for skills needed over the next five years. However, in India, Baby Boomers are leading the way with 83% of respondents very ‘actively’ learning and training for skills needed now.
Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO & Chairperson, Salesforce India, said, “In a digital-first world, the skills gap has hit an inflection point. Corporate India has made a concerted effort to bridge the gap and results are here for us to see. India is rapidly developing to become a global powerhouse for talent with the potential to lead this global transition to an all new digital economy.”
According to IDC, the Salesforce Economy in India will create 1.3 million jobs and $66.4 billion in new business revenues by 2026. Salesforce said it is driving immense growth for its partner ecosystem in India, which will make $6.55 for every $1 Salesforce makes locally by 2026. The Salesforce Startup program offers a unified platform to help foster and accelerate an environment for innovation, growth and collaboration for Startups across Sales, Developer Relations, App-Exchange, Trailblazer product community, Trailhead and our Ventures organisations.