To find the answer to some of the above questions, data analytics firm Qlik conducted a survey, the results of which was released in March 2018. The survey was undertaken with 5,288 full-time employees from Australia, China, India, Japan and Singapore and the objective was to assess their levels of confidence in data literacy. The survey was conducted between January 30 and February 14, 2018. Over a thousand respondents were from India.
The following are some of the findings of the survey:
- 45% of the Indian respondents had a higher level of data literacy as they could read, work with, analyze and argue with data. Regionally, the average of such employees across APAC was 20%
- The same figure for other countries was: Australia – 20%, Singapore – 15%, China – 11% and Japan – 6%
- Nearly 72% of the Indian employees were confident in the ability to read and the ability to work with data, in comparison to 35% and 34%, respectively, in other countries
- Furthermore, 67% displayed full confidence in the ability to analyze data (compared to 33% regionally in APAC) and 59% were confident in confident in their ability to argue or challenge data (compared to 29% regionally in APAC)
- C-Suites and Directors in India were the most confident about data literacy levels, at 64%. Australian leaders (39%) and those from Singapore (31%) came in next
- Indian employees also felt the most empowered by their employers to access data (88%). This sentiment was at 76% in China and at 75% in Singapore
- 85% of the Indian employees felt that their usage of data has increased in volumes over the last three years; however, 61% still believe that they have not had adequate training to be data literate
- About 71% of all the employees stated using data once a week, or more, in their current job role
- An overwhelming 93% of the Indian respondents were of the belief that data literacy levels can increase their value at work
- In the entire APAC region, 90% of the respondents recognized the importance of data, and 72% said that they were willing to invest more time and energy in data literacy skills if given a chance
- Merely 23% of all the respondents, however, agreed that everyone in their business is empowered and proficient using data
- 49% – nearly half – of all the respondents admitted to being overwhelmed when reading, working, analyzing and challenging data
Paul McLean, Data Literacy Evangelist, APAC, Qlik, has been quoted saying, “With more Data being created today than ever before, Data literacy has now become as important as the ability to read and write. It adds weight to our arguments and helps us make better decisions. It is no wonder then that almost nine in ten of Data literates say they are performing very well at work, compared to one in three of those that are not Data literate.”
“Indian professionals and businesses have indicated a strong desire to be more Data literate so we expect to see a higher number of business leaders implementing Data-led work cultures in their workplaces,” said Arun Balasubramanian, Managing Director, India and SAARC, Qlik
The Indian situation
It is encouraging to see that employees and employers have acknowledged the importance of Data in workplaces and are working towards ensuring that it adds value to organizations and individuals. The exponential generation, storage, and analysis of Data in every sphere of our lives have already started to change the way we exist; thus it is only natural for Data and its many applications to be used extensively in the workplace.
However, despite the fact that more employers are providing their employees with the access to the Data that is needed and are empowering them to make the best use of it, challenges remain. Paul explains, “We can see a clear gap across APAC whereby business leaders are demanding that their employees leverage Data day-to-day to drive actionable insights. At the same time, however, there is a noticeable gap in the level of support provided to empower them.”
As far as the Indian trends are concerned, Arun Balasubramanian, Managing Director, India and SAARC, Qlik, says that Data literate employees are more confident in performing their role and are able to contribute more to the overall growth of their organization than other employees. The challenge, he explained, is to use the Data to its potential. Commenting on the importance of Data, in every form, in today’s work culture, he adds, “Indian professionals and businesses have indicated a strong desire to be more Data literate so we expect to see a higher number of business leaders implementing Data-led work cultures in their workplaces.”