Upskilling for the digital world: Hope and Fear

What do people really think about the impact of technology on their jobs?

How do people perceive the impact of technology on their jobs?

In this survey report, we explore how Japan and the rest of the world are perceiving the changes that are expected in terms of “new skills” in this “new world” emerging due to digital transformation.

At PwC, we understand that the “digital divide” will become a serious social issue in the future. We are dedicated to helping our own people, across our global network, learn new skills (or “up-skilling”) for a digital age.

We hope that the results of this survey will encourage organizations to see the need for upskilling in a new light.

70% are not learning new skills

This survey explores the awareness towards the changes that digital transformation is bringing to the work environment. Only 29% of Japanese respondents say that they are learning new skills, compared to 85% of the global respondents. Japan seems to be falling behind in the race for upskilling.

Compared to other countries, the sense of urgency for automation is relatively low

30% of Japanese respondents said that their jobs could be made obsolete or significantly changed by automation in the next 10 years, compared to 53% globally, 89% in China, 82% in India, 37% in the United States and 29% in the UK. Overall, it was found that workers in emerging countries such as China and India feel more in danger than in developed countries such as Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom. These numbers reflect the different levels of “sense of urgency” towards automation in each country. These differences in the sense of urgency may affect the “digital divide” between these countries in the future.