Workers who use ‘advanced digital skills’ add Rs 10.9 trillion to India’s GDP: Research – Times of India

Using digital know-how at work, workers have contributed Rs 10.9 trillion ($507.9 billion) to the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of India, as per a research conducted by Gallup in partnership with Amazon Web Services. These ‘advanced digital skills’ include fields such as cloud architecture, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and software development.
As part of the research titled “Asia Pacific Digital Skills Study: The Economic Benefits of a Tech-Savvy Workforce,” Gallup surveyed 2,005 working professionals and 769 employers in India. Companies from both private and public sectors were interviewed.

Digital skills reaping high profits and job satisfaction
80% of India-based organisations that have digitally skilled workers report higher annual revenue growth. However, 88% organisations say they face difficulties in hiring. Also, workers who use digital skills at their workplace earn 92% higher salaries than the ones who don’t despite sharing similar educational backgrounds.
Besides the higher salaries, workers with digital skills also expressed greater job satisfaction. Out of those with advanced digital skills, 91% expressed having job satisfaction. Moving on, the same sentiment was shared by 74% of those having intermediate digital skills such as drag-and-drop web design, troubleshooting, and data analysis. 70% workers with basic digital skills – use of email, office suites, and social media – resonated with the answer.

Emerging technologies and trends
The study also asked employers their pick for the emerging technology that would become the standard in the future. The options included 10 promising technologies such as AI, edge and quantum computing, blockchain, and cryptocurrency. 92% of the respondents said at least one of these would cement its place as the norm over the years. The favourite choice among the options was 5G, which garnered 78% of votes.
Reflecting on the research, Gallup’s principal economist Dr. Jonathan Rothwell said, “People in India are increasingly going digital, from the way they work to the way they live. This research shows that digital skills provide immense economic value to India at the individual, organizational, and macroeconomic level.”