Five Ways Employers Can Close the ‘Data Divide’

Global leaders at the World Economic Forum have called the ‘data divide’ one of the business world’s most pressing challenges. Questionmark, the leading online assessment provider, is urging employers to tackle it by creating a ‘data culture’, prioritizing the teaching and assessment of modern data skills for all workers.

There is a growing recognition that data literacy is a core skill for employees at every level, from business leaders to the front line.² Yet the gap between those that can understand data and those that can’t is growing.

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In a global survey by IDC, some 83% of executives and managers said that they want their organizations to be data-led, but just 33% of employees say they’re comfortable working with data.³

To build a data culture that supports the whole workforce, employers must:

1. Know data’s backstory – knowing where data flows and how it is consumed helps businesses tailor their support to staff needs.
2. Teach people to read data – data literacy is the ability to read, understand and use data effectively. A data culture depends on literacy at every level.
3. Identify the skills needed – assessing workers’ current data skills, organizations can invest in more targeted training where necessary.
4. Build talent – combining targeted talent acquisition with training, businesses can rapidly scale their data abilities.
5. Participate in the ecosystem – no organization is an island; employers must foster a community of data literacy and encourage knowledge sharing.

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John Kleeman, Founder of Questionmark, said: “Data is the lifeblood of business today. Organizations that nurture data literacy can expect to gain the greatest advantage. The first step for all businesses is to assess the data skills across their workforce today. Then a ‘data culture’ — based on continuous learning and assessment — can deliver a more competitive, more profitable and even a happier business.”

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