Digital transformation during Covid-19

Technology is playing an integral role in how the UK deals with Covid-19 and many other pressing issues our society is facing. For businesses, digital transformation is key to staying ahead in the current landscape.

According to a recent report from cloud platform Twilio, 97% of business decision-makers say that the Covid-19 pandemic has sped up digital transformation at their company.

These findings echo CWJobs’ own research, which reveals that 49% of IT leaders believe businesses will increase tech budgets in the future in response to learnings from Covid-19.  This shows how much digital transformation will be at the centre of what businesses do moving forward.

From a recruitment perspective, it’s important that companies keep up to date with current tech news and trends. In doing so, they can identify the talent they need early, and reach the right candidates before the competition

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We recently partnered with Raconteur on their latest report focusing on what digital transformation means for the UK and what the future might bring in this space.

Read our article in the report on how UK IT professional prepare for a life in the new normal.

The impact of digital transformation on business

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, businesses were forced to change how they worked overnight. In some cases, business models had to be adapted, working patterns altered and short-term goals realigned.

With digital transformation having been accelerated across many sectors, the need for technology and its associated skills has increased. A recent report suggests that Covid-19 has accelerated companies’ digital communications strategies by 1-4 years. Companies have also increased their use of live chat (54%), email (50%) and video (48%).

In order to help companies persevere during these challenging times, the same report also shares that CEOs’ top priorities are digital transformation activities (37%), improving remote work experiences (37%) and upgrading IT and data security (29%).

At CWJobs, we’ve seen in increase in demand for software development, infrastructure, web development and IT support roles. Our Confidence Index 2020 also reveals that the most time-consuming task for tech teams during lockdown was setting people up to work remotely, which explains the increase in demand for these roles.

Digital transformation in education

Over the last few months, technology’s role in education has increased significantly. Schools, colleges and universities have come to rely on video conferencing and other software in order to continue teaching.

However, this sudden shift to online learning has highlighted a gap between schools who have digital resources and those who don’t. According to a recent survey from digital education company Jisc, only 63% of further education students agree that their college enabled them to access online systems and services regardless of location.

And similar experiences have been reported by schools. Speaking to business publication Raconteur, David Bealing, managing director of AdEPT Education says: ‘‘The Department for Education (DfE) estimated there were 10,000 schools in England that had limited or no remote-teaching and learning capability”.

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To help speed up digital transformation in education, the DfE has distributed 200,000 laptops and tablets to students from low-income homes, alongside 4G wireless routers. Schools have also been offered financial support to set up digital education platforms like G Suite for Education.

Whereas technology will undoubtedly continue to prove essential for the education sector in the future, teachers and students also need to be supported in how to use the tech. Schools should therefore consider providing online training and tutorials in how to make the most of teaching software.

Likewise, the student experience needs to be considered. With social distancing measures in place, students don’t have the same face-to-face interactions that they once did. Colleges and universities in particular, should aim to support students by addressing the practical, social and psychological challenges of remote learning.

Approaching digital innovation in the future

CWJobs’ Confidence Index reveals that 81% of those working in tech are confident in the current state of the tech industry – only 8% lower than 2019. Although Covid-19 hasn’t dampened confidence in the technology industry, it will have a major impact on how companies approach digital innovation in the future.

According to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s Jobs Recovery Tracker, the number of job adverts in the UK dropped from 1.78 million in March to 1.27 million in May, creating an unusually large talent pool compared to the UK norm.

However, as job adverts started to increase again from the end of July, there’s been a surge in adverts seeking IT professionals. Speaking to Raconteur, CWJobs’ Commercial Director, Dominic Harvey says:

Tech was vital in enabling that sudden shift to working from home, which has changed the way many people within organisations view the IT department. Tech professionals really proved their worth, so much so that in the CWJobs Confidence Index 2020 almost half of IT leaders said they expect to have their budgets increased in the next year. Despite the insecurity Covid-19 brings, many IT leaders will be pushing for more resources to ensure their systems are secure and can work remotely.

Moving forward, it’s important that companies adjust their hiring strategies to attract tech talent. The companies who succeed post-Covid-19 will be those who remain competitive by having access to top tech professionals. Dominic Harvey says:

People in tech like to be in a company that’s driving forward, not stagnating. If you are really pushing innovation and creating a culture of ideas, that encourages people to join you because they feel like they can be part of the solution.

Promoting a strong career in technology also applies to retraining and upskilling opportunities, while customised learning and development are key to retaining top talent. Companies should, therefore, invest in ongoing training to inspire commitment.