The survey revealed the technological skills of Slovaks. We are among the worst in the EU

The European Commission has published statistics on the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) for the first and second quarters of 2021. Each year, the index approximates how individual Member States with digital skills are doing. The overall score is determined on the basis of the digital skills of the population, the availability of high-speed connection, the integration of digital technologies in business and the digitization of public services.

This time, Slovakia ranked 22nd among the 27 EU member states. We held the same position last year. We have done the most in terms of individual digital skills and connectivity, while we are significantly below average in digitizing business and the public sector.

DESI 2021: Slovakia still has work to do

54% of Slovaks have at least basic digital skills and 27% have above-average digital skills. The EU average reached 56% and 31% this year. Regarding the use of high-speed internet, 78% of Slovak households in 2020 ordered some form of broadband connection. In 2020, 25% of households had a fixed broadband connection with a speed of at least 100 Mbps, which is well below the EU average of 34%. This is despite the fact that Slovakia is the 7th cheapest broadband market in the EU.

In the area of ​​digitalisation of business and public services, we lagged behind the average in almost all points. An exception was the integration of information and communication technologies for environmental sustainability, where we achieved up to 76% compared to the 66% average, as well as a 68% share of e-government users from all Slovak Internet users.

The government will continue to work to improve digital skills

The index confirmed that there is still room for improvement, so the government will continue to focus on improving the digital skills of the population. He currently plans to support the population in the study of technical fields at all levels of education by 2025 and wants to improve the results of Slovak universities.

At the same time, in March 2021, it approved a new plan, the aim of which is to ensure that all Slovak households have access to an Internet connection with a speed of at least 100 Mb / s by 2030 and with the possibility of expanding to gigabit speeds. It will also focus on developing a 5G network in the near future.

To support the digitization of public services, the “state software house” Slovensko IT was established in 2020. Its goal is to create cheaper, more modern and more flexible state IT systems. One of its tasks is to develop a new eSlovakia application that will allow people to connect with public institutions via smartphones.