Bridging the Gap Between Digital Skills and Employability for Vulnerable Populations

Abstract

While digital technologies are spreading rapidly, mismatches in desired digital skills between education and industry pose an ongoing challenge for the future of work. Some segments of the population are ill-prepared to fill jobs that will require at least a basic set of digital skills. With rapid technological advancement, traditional and emerging learning deficits can put them at greater socio-economic risk by exacerbating inequalities and unemployment. This brief provides recommendations to bridge the digital skills divide and foster the employability of those vulnerable populations, which can lead ultimately to larger macroeconomic outcomes such as poverty reduction, income growth, and economic empowerment.