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Upskilling for the new normal

How the COVID-19 outbreak has impacted the need for digital upskilling in Central and Eastern Europe’s public sector

Citizens in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are demanding more from their governments and expect public services to be accessible at all times, in all places. This pressure to ‘go digital’ heightened with the outbreak of COVID-19, as digital infrastructure became essential to maintain business continuity. 

PwC’s CFO Pulse survey reveals that 60% of finance leaders from around the world say they will defer or cancel planned investments in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But only 16% of CFOs are considering deferring or cancelling investments in digital transformation. 

The pandemic has only further emphasised the need for digital transformation. Resilient futures depend on technology investments and new skills.

As a region, CEE has seen impressive progress in the modernisation and adaptation of technological innovations. Countries like Estonia are paving the way for successful digital public services. But the region’s average digital maturity level is behind our European counterparts. According to the European Commission’s eGovernment Benchmark 2019, the CEE region lags behind in all top-level benchmarks (user centricity, transparency, cross border mobility, key enablers) with an average of 59%, compared to the EU average of 69%. We discuss possible approaches to building citizen-centric services models and financing opportunities in the report Citizens at the centre: Building digital public services in CEE. 

But in addition to technology, people themselves are equally important to digital transformation.

PwC estimates that 34% of public sector jobs are at risk of being replaced by automation by the early 2030s. This is where upskilling can help. Governments need to start preparing their workforce for the jobs of the future. Especially as we enter the stabilisation and recovery phases of the crisis and the new normal takes shape, the labour market needs to become more agile and resilient to future shocks. 

We’re committed to preparing both our own people and our clients’ workforce for the digital age as part of PwC’s New world. New skills initiative. 

PwC’s Academy, our dedicated client training business, helps organisations and individuals build the critical skills required to stay relevant in the digital economy. 

More information here.