Work Note 29/2023 by S. Duranti and V. Patacchini
The issue of skills is today at the heart of the debate on digital transition, both at national and European level. On the availability of adequate digital skills depends, in fact, the actual ability of the production system and citizens to benefit from the changes brought about by the transition underway.
The digitisation of activities and production processes requires new skills that do not only concern the professional figures involved in the front line of the implementation of digital transition actions, but also all those who, to varying degrees, are called upon to make increasing use of digital tools. In fact, skills play a crucial role in promoting effective consumer access to digital information and services, in redefining business supply models, in redesigning Public Administration services and, more generally, in rethinking the ways in which all citizens interact on a daily basis.
This is why digital competences are part of the action plan of the European pillar of social rights and the action plan for digital education. The target set by Europe for 2030 is 80% of citizens with at least basic digital skills, a target far from being reached by the European Union, where in 2021 this share was 53.9%.
Within this framework, the note sets itself the primary objective of analysing the levels of digital skills in the Tuscan population, while also providing a picture of the demand for this type of skills on the part of businesses.
