In 2023, only 44.3% of Poles had basic or higher digital skills. Meanwhile, according to the World Economic Forum’s ‘The Future of Jobs Report 2025’, by 2030 as many as 39% of workers will need to reorganise themselves to adapt to changes in the labour market related to the development of new technologies. This means that in order to keep up with the pace of the modern world, one must be open to continuous development, acquiring new skills and lifelong learning. 

Digital skills made compulsory in the EU

Eurostat’s study ‘Digitalisation in Europe – 2024 edition’ shows that 44 percent of Europeans lack basic digital skills, including:

• using e-mail, 
• searching for information on the Internet and assessing its reliability, 
• digital security, e.g. creating strong passwords,
• preparing text documents and presentations.

Poland, preceded by Romania and Bulgaria, is the third country with the highest number of citizens who are not proficient in digital space (55.7 percent). And this space is getting wider and wider. 

Digital skills should be considered mandatory today. In addition to the fact that they are required by an increasing number of employers, it is difficult to navigate the world around us without them. We make use of new technologies, paying for purchases by card or phone, buying e-tickets or filling e-prescriptions in pharmacies. It is becoming increasingly difficult to handle official matters without taking advantage of the digital age.

The pace of technological change requires us to acquire more and more digital competences. As we read in the European Commission’s report ‘Building trust in microcredentials for improving employability’ – the EU sets a clear target for its members. By 2030, 80% of the adult population in Europe should have at least basic digital skills.

The solution? Lifelong learning

How do we keep up with the constant changes that also affect today’s labour market? The idea of lifelong learning has been promoted in several member countries of the European Union for years. The idea implies that learning occurs in every activity we do throughout our lives to develop and acquire new skills. No matter our age, we all learn in different contexts. 

In the face of technological and demographic change, many people will have to adapt to new labour market conditions, which may involve re-branding and continuous upgrading of skills (‘reskilling’ and ‘upskilling’). Research by the Polish recruitment website pracuj.pl ‘Poles and career changes’ shows that 51.4% of Poles are already considering a change of industry or career specialisation, and 70% are actively looking for work in different sectors. Moreover, according to the ‘Labour Market Barometer 2023’ survey, 42% of respondents are considering changing their current profession, and among those worried about their employment or planning to change jobs in the near future, the percentage exceeds 71%.

Every skill can be validated

The aforementioned idea of lifelong learning assumes that we can learn everywhere – at school, at home, in courses, training, from the Internet, independently, The most important thing is to develop and acquire new competences. However, in order to be able to make full use of them, e.g. when looking for a job, changing jobs or seeking promotion, it is necessary to prove the possession of the skills acquired in various ways. How can they be credibly validated? For example, by means of microcredentials, which might serve as a certification of even the smallest skill. The Educational Research Institute is currently developing these with the support of the European Union.

‘Digital skills are now one of the key areas for personal and professional development. This includes both transversal skills used in many life and work situations (digital communication, use of information or digital security) and specific competences needed for specific professional tasks. Being able to not only validate these skills efficiently but also credibly, makes it easier for learners to design their development and allows employers to verify the competences of job candidates. In the case of microcredentials, what should guarantee credibility are clear standards or rules on how digital credentials are designed, verified and issued,’ says Dr Wojciech Gola, key expert on the design of digital solutions for skills development in the project ‘Microcredentials – piloting a new solution to support lifelong learning’,

Sources: 

1. Digitalisation in Europe – 2024 edition, Eurostat, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/interactive-publications/digitalisation-2024
2. ‘Building trust in microcredentials for improving employability’, EU Publication, https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/175c54dc-4eec-11ef-acbc-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
3. ‘Future of Jobs Report 2025’, EU Publication, https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/digest/
4. ‘Poles and career changes’, Pracuj.pl Survey, https://media.pracuj.pl/339078-co-drugi-polak-rozwaza-zmiane-branzy-badanie-pracujpl
5. ‘Labour Market Barometer 2023’, Report by Gi Group Holding, https://www.gigroupholding.com/polska/insights/barometr-rynku-pracy-2023/