New ways of working needed to seize digital opportunities, says EY

Momentum for digitalisation built-up during the Covid-19 pandemic is at risk of being lost.

That was the stark warning from EY, who found in a recent study that governments are in crucial need of new working strategies to seize digital opportunities with just 7% of respondents saying they have achieved their digital transformation goals.

In its report, “How can government workers and technology align to serve future citizens?”, EY alluded to a list of drawbacks hampering digitalisation, such as “ill-prepared” government workforces and outdated ways of working.

Respondents suggested that in order to make workforces more prepared, governments will need to improve the access to digital services and increase efficiency across the board.

“The data shows that governments understand there is more to be done, but there remain many barriers to success,” said Arnauld Bertrand, global government consulting leader at EY.

The barriers in question include a shortage of digitally aware leaders, as well as a lack of digital and data skills and the training to access them. The study also noted there seems to be an organisational culture that is “uninspiring”, which, at the same time, is crushing efforts to attract high quality digital talent.

Shalinder Bakshi, global people advisory services leader at EY, said governments need to “urgently seize the opportunity to reconfigure the workforce to attract, retain and motivate the skilled employees they need.”

The report recommended a framework of four key actions for governments to follow when looking to build a workforce: Adopt dynamic workforce planning; upskill or reskill existing employees; foster digital leadership and culture; and create career paths tailored to each individual.

“Data and technology do not get you very far without the buy-in and skills to go alongside them,” stressed Bakshi. According to EY research, this also calls for better use of technology and data to understand people’s needs and circumstances.