In 2022 almost the 70% of companies has invested in digital technologies, new corporate organizational formulas and new business models that affect the digital transformation. Only 41,4% of these companies has managed to adopt, however, investment strategies capable of combine these three areas. In any case, this data is higher than the average values for the five-year period 2017-2021 (68,5% and 36,5% respectively).
In response to the 4.0 transition, le businesses seek, so, more and more specialized figures with digital skills to be applied to different business processes: from software analysts and designers, to electronic and telecommunications engineers, to energy and mechanical engineers. Among the technical figures, the programmers, web technicians and those experts in applications stand out, but also the technicians of the organization of the management of the production factors. This is what emerges from the analysis of the volume data “Digital skills, 2022” of the Excelsior Information System di Unioncamere e Anpal, created in collaboration with the Study Center of the Chambers of Commerce G. Meat cutter.
3,3 million professional profiles sought
According to research, the basic digital skills for visual and multimedia communication are requests from around 3,3 million businesses, representing 64% of total revenue, an increase of 3,5% compared to 2021. Skills related to the use of mathematical and computer languages and methods are required by approximately 2,7 million positions (51,9%) and the ability to manage innovative 4.0 solutions is required by approximately 1,9 million positions (37,5%).
The survey shows, however, a growing difficulty in finding the required professional figures which increases as the degree of importance attributed to the skills required to carry out the profession increases. It goes from a difficulty of finding it of 41,8% in the case of a request for expertise to 44,2% for the degree of high importance; for mathematical-IT skills the gap is even wider (from 42,7% to 47,7%), while for 4.0 skills the difficulty varies from 43,7% to 47,1%.
The importance of multiple skills combined with each other
Businesses have recognized theimportance of having e-skills (digital skills) combined with each other to face technological and managerial challenges. There demand for professionals with a combination of at least two digital skills has increased, involving 823.000 job positions compared to 646.000 the previous year. This skill mix is required in 49,9% of recruitments for graduates, especially in STEM subjects such as electronic and information engineering (87,5%) and mathematics, physics and computer sciences (87,2%). However, the highest percentage (54,1%) of request for e-skill mix concerns graduates of ITS Academies, demonstrating the importance of these training courses in the digital transformation and in responding to the needs of the entrepreneurial and productive world.
For profiles possessing this mix of skills le finding difficulties reach 47,3% of demand (+7,1% compared to 2021). The greater difficulties are concentrated in specialist professions related to the implementation of digitization processes, such as mathematicians, statisticians and related professions (82,7% of positions with required mix of skills), electronic engineers (80,8%), analysts and software designers ( 64,7%), and IT system designers and administrators (64,2%).
Territorial requests
A territorial level, it is the province of Milan with over 113 hires that plans the highest number of hires due to the request for the ability to use mathematical and computer languages and methods with a high degree of importance. Followed by Turin with almost 44 thousand, Bologna with over 23 thousand and Brescia with almost 22 thousand.
for basic digital skills they are very important for about 168 workers wanted in the provinces of Milan, Rome (126), Turin (57) and Naples (55). In these four provinces the possession of 4.0 skills is also important with more than 195 planned hirings.
