The Cabinet Office told us in March 2025 that, to achieve annual savings of up to £500 million by reducing the need for digital consultants, it was aiming for 10% of civil servants to have digital expertise.25 Only 5.5% of the civil service met this criteria in April 2025, though DSIT told us that some government departments had already met this 10% target and that others are progressing towards it.26 It also told us that while there are schemes, such as apprenticeships, aimed at developing g...

The Cabinet Office told us in March 2025 that, to achieve annual savings of up to £500 million by reducing the need for digital consultants, it was aiming for 10% of civil servants to have digital expertise.25 Only 5.5% of the civil service met this criteria in April 2025, though DSIT told us that some government departments had already met this 10% target and that others are progressing towards it.26 It also told us that while there are schemes, such as apprenticeships, aimed at developing government’s digital capability, it faces challenges in recruiting and retaining at senior digital roles because of the wide pay differentials between the Type: conclusion | Number: 11 | Response status: response_pending