Companies in dire need of workers with digital skills says business group
FIRMS are being held back because of a shortage of workers with digital skills, a business group is warning.
Companies are in critical need of workers with digital skills the BCC has warned
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said some companies are facing a critical shortage of suitably skilled staff which is hitting productivity and growth.
A survey of 1,400 businesses found that most believed digital and computer skills were more important than two years ago.
The skills shortage is increasing the workload of existing employees and leading to higher operating costs, said the report.
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The skills shortage is increasing the workload of existing employees
Better digital skills make firms more productive
Adam Marshall, the director-general of the BCC, said: "The evidence is clear - better digital skills make firms more productive, and a lack of digital skills holds them back.
"Businesses themselves need to do a lot more to tackle the digital skills shortages they face, and their leaders need to be alive to the fact that a failure to tackle this issue will have an impact on their bottom line.
"Too many firms are stuck in an unproductive cycle, where the failure to take action has serious consequences.
"Government must help as well, by recognising that some of the high-level digital skills businesses need will come from overseas so a pragmatic immigration system needs to be in place to provide firms with access to the workers required to fill the gaps."