Scots workers seek skills update amid rise of the machines

Scottish workers are crying out to learn new skills in the face of increasing automation and the rise of artificial intelligence, a new report suggests.

Workers are demanding new IT skills. Picture: Rob McDougall

However, the research from PwC has found that many employees are not being given the chance to adapt their skillsets.

The “Upskilling Hopes and Fears” study found that 80 per cent of Scottish workers would take the opportunity to better understand or use technology if they were given the option by their employer.

However, currently only half of workers say their employers are offering them the chance to improve their digital skills outside their normal duties.

This lack of support may explain why some two-thirds (65 per cent) of Scottish workers fear that automation is putting their jobs at risk. This is ahead of 58 per cent across UK as a whole.

Claire Reid, PwC Scotland regional leader, said: “The disparity between the skills people have and the skills they will need in a digital future is a major challenge not just here in Scotland, but across the world.

“With research showing that more jobs will be created than displaced by technologies such as automation, it is vitally important that people learn new skills, and understand more about technology in order to adapt to this new world as seamlessly as possible.

“This will take a combined effort from government, business and academia.”