There are persistent digital skills shortages in the public sector and DSIT’s plans to address the skills gap may not be enough. 70% of government bodies responding to the NAO’s survey identified difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff with AI skills as a barrier to AI adoption. In 2024, around 50% of roles advertised in civil service digital and data campaigns were unfilled. In January 2025, the government’s State of digital government review set out the skills challenge faced by gove...

There are persistent digital skills shortages in the public sector and DSIT’s plans to address the skills gap may not be enough. 70% of government bodies responding to the NAO’s survey identified difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff with AI skills as a barrier to AI adoption. In 2024, around 50% of roles advertised in civil service digital and data campaigns were unfilled. In January 2025, the government’s State of digital government review set out the skills challenge faced by government. These include persistent difficulties recruiting, civil service pay levels that are uncompetitive with the private sector and the need for more t Type: conclusion | Number: 3 | Response status: accepted Government response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. taking active steps to implement reforms that address this challenge. To strengthen leadership and invest in talent, the government is introducing a requirement for all executive committees to include digital l