The New World of Work and the Need for Digital Empowerment

This article makes the case for empowering refugees with relevant digital skills to support their integration. The authors begin by describing the digital divide in terms of both access to technology as well as digital skills. The authors identify five types of digital skills, i.e. being able to operate a computer, use a mobile device, find and interpret relevant information, share information and curate friendships, and create online content. They suggest that successful participation in society depends more on information navigation, social and creative skills, rather than access to devices or operational skills. Digital skills are increasingly correlated with education, rather than age or gender, which suggests that the digital divide will persist. The authors suggest that forced migrants with low socio-economic status and poor digital skills need “digital empowerment” and that inclusion programs should incorporate digital skills training.