How the internet could transform the labour market for the better

a post by Rose Lasko-Skinner for the DEMOS blog

Online learning has become so much a part of everyday life we barely know we’re doing it. But taking something for granted can mean we don’t always think about how we can get the best out of it. New Demos research finds that, with bold policies in place, online learning could help us level-up, boost productivity and improve labour market outcomes for people across the UK.

Out today, The Learning Curve, found an employee-led learning revolution has transformed the way we progress in the labour market. The vast majority of the UK adult population now use the internet to learn at work (77%), and the majority of these have done so off their own bat (57%). They are also now doing their jobs more efficiently (67%) and with more skills and expertise (66%) as a result. For many, it has had a real impact on their lives: one in five have used internet-based learning to help raise their pay, with a median pay-rise equivalent to £3,640 per year for full-time workers.

Despite this, for many, there is little or no formal acknowledgement for the role internet learning is playing in developing work-place skills and expertise. And people who are from lower social grades, on lower pay, with fewer qualifications benefit less. To address these deficiencies, Demos recommends three steps to increase the quality and impact of online learning.

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Labels:
independent_learning, online_learning,

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