ServiceNow recently conducted a new study that explored employee sentiment on the impact of technology and digital skills on their career and the future of the workplace.
It found that 79% of surveyed UAE employees agreed that digital skills give people an edge in business.
An almost equal number (84%) said new technologies are helping them reach their potential.
The study surveyed 5,500 working adults (18+) in the UAE, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK, and highlighted that UAE employees are more positive about the impact of AI on their jobs, compared to their EMEA peers.
Almost three-quarters (74%), 26 percentage points higher than the EMEA average, agree that AI is the “biggest opportunity for the future of the workforce”.
An equal number agreed that AI would boost productivity in the workforce, while only 52% of EMEA employees shared the same sentiment.
Although UAE employees are largely optimistic about the value of tech and digital skills, half of workers (54%) acknowledged that their formal education did not prepare them for today’s working world and 82% also noted that additional education on technology/digital skills would help them feel more confident about their career prospects.
Subsequently, seven in ten workers in the UAE (72%) recommended that formal education on AI should be mandatory before the age of 18.
A similar proportion (71%) think the same about coding, while 72% also agreed that there needs to be a standardised qualification for digital skills that employers can recognise.
Speaking of employers, 81% of UAE employees said businesses have a responsibility to promote the development of AI skills in the workforce.