Government has ‘no credible strategy’ to tackle digital exclusion

Findings from the Communications and Digital Committee -

The Committee sounds the alarm about deepening disadvantage as the rapid shift towards online services accelerates and those who remain offline fall ever further behind. Already 90% of jobs are only advertised online. The growing use of machine learning in public and private sector services will further disadvantage digitally excluded groups, who are often poorly represented in datasets and are likely to face further marginalisation as a result.

Digital inclusion is a moving target. The report makes clear that without effective Government action the digital divide will widen. As the pace of technological change accelerates, the gap between included and excluded groups deepens and even those who can get by today may struggle in future. The Government should not assume digital exclusion will be solved as older generations leave the workforce or die.

The Committee highlights concerning figures around the level of digital skills in the UK and household internet access:

- 4m people are still unable to complete a single basic digital task to get online.
- 5m workers will be acutely under skilled in basic digital skills by 2030.
- 7m households have no broadband or mobile internet access.
- £63bn is lost each year to the UK economy each year due to overall digital skills shortages.
- 1m people have cut back or cancelled their internet packages in the last year due to affordability issues.

More information - https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/170/communications-and-digital-committee/news/196028/the-government-has-no-credible-strategy-to-tackle-digital-exclusion/