Our key takeaway: A high level of digital skills and literacy provides social and economic benefits to people, especially vulnerable groups like migrant workers. For instance, digital skills are required to access online healthcare, immigration and banking services. Digital skills are also increasingly required by employers as we move towards a digital economy, where many jobs previously carried out by people can now be done by automation and new technologies. Despite this, migrant workers do not share equal access to digital technology and its benefits. Existing vulnerabilities, such as social exclusion, poor working conditions and wages, and lack of skills development opportunities, means that they cannot access and use digital technology in a safe way. This further compounds their vulnerability and excludes their participation in society. Companies must create an enabling environment where migrant workers can access available digital skills and literacy programmes by, for instance, not penalising their attendance by reducing wages, and incorporating such in the pre-employment orientation process.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) published Bridging the Digital Divide: Assessment of the Digital Skills of Migrant Workers and the Perspective of Employers in Thailand (October 2023):