Scotland’s chief digital officer targets productivity gains
Ross Martin, Scotland’s first chief digital officer, has proposed a range of technological solutions geared toward raising productivity in the public and private sectors over the next five years.
Digital Solutions to the Productivity Puzzle has been compiled by The Scottish Council for Development and Industry, ScotlandIS, The Royal Society of Edinburgh and BT Scotland and calls for the recruitment and training of a new generation of digitilisation specialists in addition to more specialist computer science teachers.
Measures will also be taken to drive digital adoption, usage, benefits and skills across business.
Martin commented: “Poor productivity performance compared to our pre-financial crash record and to many other economies has bedevilled the Scottish economy in recent years, holding back growth and prosperity. Substantial leaps in productivity are difficult for a developed economy to make, so it will be key to seize this opportunity to work smarter, innovate and internationalise by transforming Scotland into a fully digital nation.”
Strides have been taken in recent years to increase availability of next generation broadband from 41 per cent of premises in 2011 to 85 per cent in 2015 with a target of achieving a 95 per cent rate by March 2018.