{"id":57752,"date":"2022-06-30T07:58:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T14:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=57752"},"modified":"2022-09-14T15:25:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T22:25:03","slug":"salesforce-digital-skills-hiring-insights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/salesforce-digital-skills-hiring-insights\/","title":{"rendered":"Salesforce Data: Digital Skills Could Lessen College Degree Requirements, Opening New Pathways for Untapped Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Quick Take:<\/strong> According to <\/em>Salesforce\u2019s 2022 Global Digital Skills Index<\/em><\/a>, workers with university degrees feel more prepared with digital skills than those who do not hold degrees. However, the research also shows that many workers without a college degree are taking the initiative to learn the digital skills needed for jobs of the future \u2014 providing businesses an opportunity to revisit traditional hiring requirements.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jobs needed for today\u2019s digital economy<\/a> are changing \u2013 and so are the skills businesses need to fill them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, workers haven\u2019t been able to land a corporate job without \u2013 at a minimum \u2013 a college degree. However, as competition for tech talent continues to play an outsized role in hiring, some organizations are leaning into hiring untapped talent<\/a> \u2014 including those without a degree. This trend can benefit workers who have traditionally found it difficult to break into the industry without traditional, technology-focused university degrees and certifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Data from Salesforce\u2019s 2022 Global Digital Skills Index<\/a> indicates that this kind of hiring is a win for the industry, as these workers are also likely to proactively reskill and upskill<\/a> on their own time to support their goals. Over half (51%) of workers, in fact, plan to learn new digital skills<\/a>, ranging from data entry to app development, to help them advance their careers. Further, 17% intend to learn new skills that will lead to a different career path at their current company, and 14% plan to use newly acquired skills to start a new path outside of their current organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upskilling makes its mark on the global workforce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the Salesforce Global Digital Skills Index shows that only 14% of people without a college degree feel advanced in their workplace digital skills, that percentage is likely to increase as micro-credentials and online certifications continue to be made available globally<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This shift may encourage hiring managers to rethink how candidates are evaluated as the difference in preparedness between traditionally-educated and self-educated workers narrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen Z workers<\/a>, in particular, tend to have a wide variety of educational backgrounds, frequently seizing self-development opportunities and creating new career paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, other generations are following suit, and employees at the mid-level or higher are making the switch for growth opportunities. In 2021, 53% of employed adults<\/a> quit their jobs to change occupations and, of these workers, 45% were ages 30 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of career stage, the global workforce is self-training on platforms such as Trailhead<\/a>, Trailblazer Community<\/a>, MuleSoft Community<\/a>, and Tableau Community<\/a> to take control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n