The accelerated emergence of artificial intelligence solutions in organisations and their impact on employability will follow a gradual process, whose degree of influence will depend on how companies adopt these technologies, integrate them into work processes and develop the necessary skills to make the most of them. Experts note that, with the implementation of AI, companies need to strengthen the search for reliable information and its verification.
In this regard, the third biennial report Indicadores de Competencias Digitales y Empleabilidad, driven by the Observatorio de Competencias Digitales y Empleo, concludes that information skills have declined within the overall digital competences of the working population, especially among the younger generations. "Being young does not guarantee digital competence, and the deficit lies mainly in information skills," states Hannah Valério, social researcher at IMANcorp Foundation, responsible for producing the study together with Rafael Merino, scientific director of the study and coordinator of the Grup de Recerca Educació i Treball (GRET) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
The experts highlight that, in a context of content saturation, it is essential for young people to see "the importance of both searching reliable sources and verifying what we receive passively through social media," acknowledges Hannah Valério. This evidence confirms that in the labour market age and digital capability cannot always be linked. Researchers Hannah Valério and Rafael Merino recently debated this issue with various business owners during a round table. During the discussion, it was pointed out that senior professionals are, for the time being, making better use of artificial intelligence thanks to their information skills.
From this perspective, experts and representatives of the various companies and educational institutions insisted on the need to reinforce critical thinking and the training of those entering the labour market, as well as the way they access information. Among the shared ideas, the panel highlighted that digital competence depends on how technology is used and its application to the needs of each role. The speakers agreed that familiarity with social media does not guarantee competent use of digital tools in the workplace.
A shift in model is evident, as we have moved from the active search for information to a model characterised by more passive consumption of content, a trend that appears to be especially pronounced among young people.
The concept of the digital native is called into question
The biennial report Indicadores de Competencias Digitales y Empleabilidad details that, although age is one of the main factors associated with differences in digital competences, in this latest edition this notion has been somewhat altered. The data show that the youngest groups (aged 16–25) present a lower level of digital competence than the 26–35 and 36–45 age groups. "This result contradicts the idea that a younger age necessarily implies a higher level of digital competence and calls into question the concept of digital natives, according to which people born in a context of greater exposure to technology would, by that very fact, be more competent in its use," the analysis states.
Another important aspect for matching digital competences with employability is problem-solving ability. This competence is the dimension that has advanced the most in the most recent period of the studies and is consolidating itself as the main differentiating element of digital competence. The use of electronic banking, online training, app installation and cloud file management is the fastest-growing dimension in the last period analysed and the aspects that most differentiate the working population.
For its part, communication skills are the most mature dimension among the Spanish population. Email, messaging, video calls and social media are already part of the daily life of most of the population, so few changes are recorded compared with the previous 2022 report. It is also worth noting that the room for improvement is concentrated among older people, those with a lower educational level or lower incomes.