Digital inclusion: The Economic Solution

As I wrap up the year, I find myself increasingly frustrated by the division of driving economic growth and delivering inclusion.

I know that fixing the digital divide - the gulf between the people who have access to digital connections, as well as the skills and confidence to engage, and those who do not - will help to deliver a stronger economy. Closing this gap through digital inclusion is not just a social imperative; it is a powerful engine for growth.

A productivity boost

Digitally skilled employees are more efficient and businesses that can recruit from a wider, digitally-literate talent pool are more productive and innovative. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), embracing digital tools allows them to reach new markets and streamline operations. Remote and hybrid working needs people to have the digital capability to be effective.

Yet - as referenced in FutureDotNow’s recent Ripple Effect report - over 50% of today’s UK workforce lack all the Essential Digital Skills for life and for work. Engaging all business, public sector, and civil society employers with tools, content, and support to uplift their employees to (at least) the minimum would boost productivity. 

We recognise that working in a digital and AI world will need new, enhanced skills. By instilling low-skilled workers with the AI basics, we provide them access to higher-paying and future-proof roles. Our friends at FutureDotNow have updated the Essential Digital Skills Framework to embed AI basic skills - this is an important nod to technological acceleration, the necessities for today’s workplace, as well as the capabilities needed in everyday life.

Get Britain Working

One in four people who are not working are digitally excluded. The Government has a target to help 2 million people go from economic inactivity to being in a job. How is this possible without digital inclusion? The lack of a connected device and/or the confidence and know-how to digital technologies will be holding about half a million people back. The first step is an indicative barrier; many available jobs are only advertised online, requiring online applications. And once in a role, people need to be able to use digital tools - for pay-slips, intranets, and online rotas, let alone emails and calendars.

Infrastructure - a driver for growth

The Government has pledged that 99% of the UK will be covered with superfast broadband by 2030, but with VodafoneThree’s £11m investment in standalone 5G and with the availability of satellite broadband already across the whole of the UK, I think that 99% goal will be complete before 2030. Good, reliable digital infrastructure will allow people to set up businesses and to deliver prosperity - from Aberdeen down to Falmouth, up the peaks of Eryri National Park to across the Norfolk Broads. 

We do still need more action on affordable connectivity though, for the communities in our society living on no or low income - but more on that from me and from Good Things in 2026.

Increasing GDP and improving public services

A digitally included population is one that can fully participate in the growing digital economy. This translates to increased tax revenues from people being workers - and not entailing the social security system - and increased financial resilience; driving more online consumption which adds directly to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

What’s more, I am delighted at the pace and commitment to improving public services through the use of digital tools and technology. This decade will see huge leaps forward in more usable, joined up, accessible online public services - not just putting offline services online but innovating to bring citizens new ways to engage with the state.

Today, helping more people to be able to confidently use essential public services online - like GP appointments, tax returns, and social security - not only improves the convenience to the citizen but it reduces the administrative burden on government services, saving public money and reallocating resources more effectively.

As GDP rises and more is invested in online public services, then more needs to be invested in digital inclusion to ensure as many people as possible can benefit.

Who’s problem is it, anyway?

For the UK to fully unlock its economic potential, we need cross-sector people and organisations to pick up the pace and urgency for digital inclusion. Together we need to:

• Invest the infrastructure: Ensuring high-speed broadband reaches rural and deprived urban areas.
• Subsidise connectivity and devices: Making the internet and necessary hardware genuinely affordable for all.
• Prioritising skills and confidence: Integrating practical digital training into education, community programmes, employers and adult learning initiatives.

Although this should be a cross-sector priority facing the Government, it is important for all staff at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to see digital inclusion as part of their mission for growth. Indeed, all staff in all Government departments should understand that baking digital inclusion into their policy implementation will deliver growth. Tackling the digital divide and boosting economic growth is everybody’s problem - too often do Officials point to another team or another body or another unit. Taking responsibility for these twin emergencies is critical. 

2025 has been a year of positive action and collaboration. Of a new Government Action Plan, a Digital Inclusion Action Committee, and a Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund. A year of businesses celebrating big digital inclusion milestones, and partnerships with Good Things Foundation. My hope for 2026 is that we can pick up the pace, keep collaborating, stay focused, and reach more excluded people - deliver on both sustainable systems change and growth.

No longer should anyone be talking about digital as if it “only” delivers social impact, it drives economic growth. By treating digital inclusion as a fundamental pillar of economic strategy, the UK can move beyond merely managing the digital divide and instead build a more equitable, productive, and prosperous future for everyone.