6.3. ICT skills in the workplace
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are changing jobs and the workforce. Jobs differ in their ICT task intensity – the frequency with which ICT tasks are undertaken – with jobs in occupations such as software, finance, sales and marketing generally more ICT task intensive, while jobs in areas such as accommodation and food, and health and social work tend to have relatively lower ICT task intensity. The average ICT task intensity of jobs ranges from around 40% in the Russian Federation and Turkey to nearly 60% in Scandinavian countries. In almost all countries, the average ICT task intensity of jobs held by women is greater than that of men, with differences being most pronounced in Eastern European countries, as well as in the Russian Federation. Japan and Korea are the only countries where the average ICT task intensity of jobs held by men markedly exceeds that of women.
In terms of ICT-related tasks performed at work, “exchanging e-mails or entering data into databases” is the most common” activity - undertaken at least once a week by over 80% of people who use computers or computerised equipment at work in the EU28. Creating or editing electronic documents is also commonplace, with over 60% of workers performing these tasks. Almost one-in-four workers in European Union countries use social media for work purposes at least once a week, although the data do not distinguish the active posting of content from more passive uses, such as using social media to follow news.
On average, 30% of workers in the European Union use online applications to receive tasks or instructions for work, at least once a week. This includes those finding work through online platforms, as well as a wide range of situations such as workers in e-commerce fulfilment centres or hospital staff who receive instructions via apps on smart devices (e.g. the location of a product in a warehouse or of a patient in a hospital). About 11% regularly work on “developing and maintaining IT systems and software”. The highest proportion is found in Slovenia (18%) and the lowest in the Slovak Republic (4%).
Self-assessments offer one perspective on the extent to which workers’ skills match the ICT-related tasks needed for their work. In 2018, about 64% of workers using computers or computerised equipment at work in the European Union reported that their skills corresponded well to ICT-related aspects of their work duties. Meanwhile, 11% reported needing further training to cope with the ICT-related demands of their job. This figure is lower than the share of people whose ICT skills may be under-utilised: on average 25% declared that their digital skills exceed the requirements of their jobs. Considerable variation exists between countries, however. In Spain, France and Italy, nearly 20% of workers feel that they need further ICT training, while in Germany, Norway and Iceland, over a third report having more advanced ICT skills than used in their work duties.
In most OECD countries, women work in jobs that are more ICT task-intensive, on average, than men.
Definitions
The ICT task intensity of a person’s job describes the frequency with which they undertake ICT tasks at work. The ICT tasks considered relate to the frequency of: using word processing and spreadsheet software; using programming language; making transactions via the Internet (banking, selling/buying); using e-mails and the Internet; using ICT for real-time discussions; reading and composing letters, emails and, memos; and use of computers on the job. See Grundke et al., (2017), for details.
Computers and computerised equipment include computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, other portable devices, and other computerised equipment or machinery such as those used in production lines, transportation or other services.
Receiving tasks via apps consists of the use of applications to receive tasks or instructions (excluding e-mails).
Occupation-specific software relates to specialist software for design, data analysis, processing and so on.
Digital skills (mis)match at work is based on self-declarations regarding individuals’ skills relating to the use of computers, software or applications at work. Responses relate to the main paid job in cases of multiple employment.
Measurability
The ICT task intensity of jobs is assessed using exploratory factor analysis of responses to 11 items on the OECD Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey relating to the performance of ICT tasks at work. The detailed methodology can be found in Grundke et al. (2017). Compared to earlier studies, this approach helps to distinguish between the tasks that workers perform on the job and the skills with which they are endowed.
The 2018 European Community survey on ICT usage in households and by individuals contained a special module on ICT usage at work. This provides information on various dimensions related to the use of ICTs for working activities including the types of ICT-related undertaken regularly and some elements on digital skills (mis)match.
Source: OECD calculations based on the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) Database, October 2018. See 1. StatLink contains more data.
← 1. The ICT task intensity of jobs indicator relies on exploratory state-of-the-art factor analysis and captures the use of ICTs on the job. It relies on 11 items from the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) ranging from simple use of the Internet to the use of a word processor, spreadsheet software or a programming language. The detailed methodology can be found in Grundke et al. (2017).
The data for the following 23 countries from the first round of PIAAC refer to the year 2012: Australia, Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation (excluding Moscow), Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom (England and Northern Ireland) and the United States. Data for the remaining countries refer to 2015 and are sourced from the second round of the first wave of the PIAAC survey.
For the Russian Federation, the PIAAC sample does not include the population of the Moscow municipal area. The data published, therefore, do not represent the entire resident population aged 16-65, but rather the population of the Russian Federation excluding the population residing in the Moscow municipal area.
Source: OECD, based on Eurostat, Digital Economy and Society Statistics, January 2019. See 1.
← 1. Computers and computerised equipment include computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, other portable devices, and other computerised equipment or machinery, such as those used in production lines, transportation or other services.
Receiving tasks via apps comprises the use of applications to receive tasks or instructions (excluding e-mails). Occupation-specific software relates to specialist software for design, data analysis, processing and so on.
Source: OECD, based on Eurostat, Digital Economy and Society Statistics, January 2019.