context: As the digital economy is developing rapidly, the demand for digital skills has increased in step. The MoHRSS (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security) released an 'Action plan for accelerating cultivation of digitally skilled staff to support the development of the digital economy (2024-26)' with eight other ministries, aiming to cultivate future workers with a high-level of digital literacy to assist the PRC in developing its digital economy.
'Core digital economy industries in the PRC are developing rapidly,’ stated Sheng Laiyun 盛来运 NBS (National Bureau of Statistics) deputy director-general. Currently,
- the added value of core digital economy industries is estimated to exceed C¥12 tn in 2023
- accounting for about ten percent of GDP
- the employment landscape for digitally skilled workers is marked by structural contradictions, which consist of
- traditional digital economy industries slowing down
- leading to a weakened demand for skilled staffs and impactful jobs
- rising new digital economy format, involving
- digitisation of manufacturing and service industries
- new demands cannot be met by traditional digital skills
- traditional digital economy industries slowing down
The need for digital skilled workers is changing. An annual report of Chuanzhi Education, a digital talent training institution, highlights
- a slow growth in the internet industry
- affecting the popularity of programmer jobs
- a relatively large demand for digital talents market
- training courses are transforming
- e.g. digital professional courses and new media + short video live broadcast operation, e-commerce visual design etc.
- training courses are transforming
The national ICT (information and communication technologies) talent gap will exceed 20 million, reports China ICT Talent Ecosystem White Paper. New jobs will emerge due to
- integrating emerging technologies with traditional information and communication technologies
- the widespread application of technology in various industries
Digital talent training is inseparable from enterprises. More enterprises have started online learning and employee training, contends Hou Xianhui 后显慧 digital learning platform Sanjieke CEO. Different enterprises conduct training programmes with different goals, such as
- upgrading all employees' digital capability
- particularly in automobiles, biopharmaceuticals and smart manufacturing industries
- improving competencies for selected positions
- providing general welfare
According to Hou, cultivating digital skilled workers face various challenges, including
- huge staff size
- diverse job types
- different learning pace
- regional and cultural differences among employees