Here’s a summary of the findings:

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·      38% of businesses globally are accelerating digitisation as a result of Covid-19.

·      At the same time only 23% of companies in the UK are speeding up their digitalization efforts.

·       However, fewer UK businesses have put their digitalization plans on hold; 14% compared to 17% of organisations globally.

·       Large organisations (250+ employees) are most likely to accelerate digitisation as a result of the pandemic, 26%, compared to 8% of micro- (1-9 employees) and 6% of small- organisations (10-49 employees).

·      Soft skills remain hard to identify and develop. 21% of UK companies say that it’s more difficult to teach soft skills, like analytical thinking and communication, than technical skills.

·      At the same time, 53% of all companies said it is more difficult to train in-demand technical skills.

·      A shift towards employee-centric focus areas was backed by 64% of HR leaders who see employee health and wellbeing as the most important focus. Second and third priorities being “New Work Models”, consisting part-time, contract and flexible work (22%) and “Upskilling, Learning & Development” (21%).

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“The trends we have seen in recent years, the call for more flexibility, more of a work-life blend, upskilling & autonomy over roles, have sped up in the space of a year as a result of the pandemic,” said Chris Gray, Director ManpowerGroup UK.

“And, the workforce has transformed in a relatively short period of time thanks to greater use of technology, employers need to catch up. Our data shows that those industries which are digitising and adapting to the health crisis are hiring, and will be attracting the best talent, while other sectors run the risk of falling behind the curve.”

Read ManpowerGroup’s report here.

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