Despite their status as the first digital native generation, less than one-third of Generation Z believe they are equipped for the digital-first jobs of the future.
Moreover, less than a quarter of Gen-Zers believe they have the advanced digital workplace skills needed to succeed in the business areas they view as most important, including collaborative technology, digital administration, and cybersecurity.
These were among the results of a Salesforce's Global Digital Skills Index, which amassed the insights of more than 23,000 workers across 19 countries.
While most respondents (83%) said they could claim "advanced" or "intermediate" skills for tech applications like social media or commonplace digital communication skills, that confidence drops sharply when the knowledge is translated to the workplace.
Kris Lande, senior vice president of the Trailblazer Ecosystem at Salesforce, explains companies need digitally skilled talent, but the upcoming workforce doesn't feel ready to operate in this world, and they don't feel equipped to learn or know where to start.
"While the digital skills gap has been a trend for a long time, finding skilled talent has been exacerbated by the increased pace of business innovation, especially when it comes to digital transformation -- a fundamental reshaping of the labor market," she says.
She adds that what stood out most to her was the discovery that nearly 68% of Gen Z feels they lack the resources for learning the digital skills needed to thrive in today's work environment.
"Companies need employees with the ability to automate processes, engage customers online, build e-commerce platforms, use AI, develop chatbots that provide efficient service and leverage technology to get workers back to the office safely," she says. "They need digitally savvy employees trained in digital-first skills to help."
Enterprise Must Prioritize, Invest in Workforce Training
To help Gen Z gain the right skill sets for these in-demand roles, Lande says employers need to prioritize and invest in workforce training and make it open and accessible to anyone.
She adds the tech industry has created a host of new jobs that higher education institutions don't have specific curriculum around.
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