Stalled data training programs have led to regional companies facing challenges in delivering on core data projects despite digital initiatives proceeding at pace.
Alteryx, Inc. the analytics automation company has highlighted a disconnect between the scale of regional digital transformations and the core data skills required to deliver them. Research shows that stalled data training programs are threatening future digital competitiveness.
Overwhelmed
In a survey of over 300 data workers conducted by YouGov in the UAE and KSA, 57% of senior business leaders believed they were ‘falling behind’ their competitors and 56% reported feeling ‘overwhelmed’ by the need to convert data into insights.
40% of workers saw upskilling as vitally important, but day-to-day challenges continue to dominate their time. 45% of workers reported being unable to train due to day-to-day tasks consuming their time, and 24% ‘did not know where to start’.
Differing priorities
40% of leaders anticipated little change in the skills needed today versus those required in five years’ time. However, 86% of workers saw value in receiving data training. 28% of workers had begun data training, and 18% reporting having completed it.
For leaders, fully benefiting from digital skills is seen as vital and a driver of competitiveness. 51% of workers saw a direct relationship between upskilling and improved salaries, 10% expected a 71-100% salary increase and 57% expecting a salary increase of at least 21% from upskilling.
Core challenges
The researched highlighted three core challenges:
- Leaders need digital expertise, but are failing to enable workers to gain these skills.
- Workers believe that those closest to the problem are best placed to solve it, but leadership is not supportive of their upskilling.
- Nearly half of the leaders responsible for upskilling initiatives see no need for new data skills in the next five years.
Solving the problem
The research highlighted a series of steps required to address the problem:
- Create a clear data strategy with training programs that address the data literacy required now and in the future.
- A new approach should target cultural, upskilling and technology strategies resulting in analytics competency for digital innovation.
- A culture of data analytics that enables workers to deliver the benefits of enhanced digital skills should be created.
“The skills disconnect has the potential to seriously hinder the Gulf’s competitiveness on a global scale,” said Kerry Koutsikos, VP, MEA, at Alteryx. “As our business environment becomes increasingly digital, data literacy is the skill that will pay off both in the short and long-term – moving businesses away from time-consuming manual tasks and towards automated insight generation for faster time-to-insight and accelerated decision-making.”
