Public sector staff voice concerns over lack of vision to drive digital transformation

Almost half of those working in the public sector believe their organisation still needs to come up with a plan for long-term digital transformation, according to a new survey.

The report, by cloud computing company EMC, found that despite a majority of public sector staff (81 per cent) saying their organisation had the right skills for digital transformation, almost half (47 per cent) felt their organisation did not have the vision for more wholesale transformation.

Nearly nine in ten (87 per cent) respondents said that the growth and success of their organisation was reliant on technology, with three-quarters saying it is up to them and their team to make that happen.

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But the survey suggests the public sector risks losing staff if it does not realise the importance of technology with two-thirds of those staff questioned saying they had considered applying or have applied for another job in the past 12 months.

However, the survey points out that this is lower than in the private sector where almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of tech staff said they had looked elsewhere.  

The main issues public sector staff had with their jobs were the pay package (63 per cent), career progression restrictions (45 per cent) and a lack of opportunities to demonstrate their personal ability (35 per cent).

“We are fast becoming an information generation: expecting all areas of our lives to be connected, and the public sector is no exception,” said James Norman, EMC's public sector CIO.

“The government has put strict targets in place to ensure that digital technology becomes the cornerstone of public service delivery. But without the right talent, it will not meet these targets.

"With hot tech companies popping up every week, the competition for attracting and retaining this much-needed talent is fierce, and this study highlights the issues we are facing in stark detail."