The STC Group CEO Nasser Sulaiman Al Nasser expects that the desired core skills of some occupations are going to change in the perceived future as a result of digital transformations. He specified that 40% to 50% of jobs would require new skills in the next five years.
« It’s our priority to continue to collaborate with governments. The Saudi business team has worked closely with the International Business Community and the G20 leaders in order to develop recommendations for comprehensive digital transformation policies. The Kingdom, through a partnership between the government and the private sector under the Digital Transformation Program, has made significant qualitative leaps in the digital infrastructure; fiber optic cables were delivered to more than 2 million houses within 3 years, reaching 60% of houses in the Kingdom compared to 23% in the past », announced Al Nasser in a press release during his participation as head of the Digital Transformation Working Group of the Saudi B20.
« The Kingdom quadrupled the bandwidth available to the telecommunications sector; ranking the Kingdom among the top 5 countries with the fastest internet speed in the world after being in the 105th position. Therefore, it’s important to work on fixing the existing digital gap, focus on building capabilities that are compatible with the digital transformation, and provide more opportunities for women in this field. It’s expected that 40% to 50% of jobs will require new skills in the next five years. », he added.
The Digital Transformation Working Group of the Saudi B20 urged to establish and support a flexible digital infrastructure by enhancing cybersecurity readiness for both individuals and companies and investing in human capital. It also called for supporting and approving proper development of AI, when possible, by providing a suitable, reliable organizational system, educating companies, government, and society on technology, and enhancing AI benefits on all levels.
The Digital Transformation Working Group of the Saudi B20 has also recommended laying grounds that ensure prosperity for smart cities by promoting its key pillars and social acceptance all over the world.
The Saudi Business Group hosted G20’s virtual summit on the 26th and 27th of October, 2020. World leaders from various fields, academic circles, civil society, and international organizations attended to discuss the most urgent economic questions that the Society is currently facing. Saudi Arabia is the first country in the Middle East to assume the G20 presidency as a representative of the region and the developing countries.
« Based on our mission of achieving business progress through cooperation, the B20 Summit represents a culmination of the efforts of more than 650 members who worked tirelessly during the whole past year in order to provide recommendations on the G20’s major issues. The year 2020 was full of extraordinary challenges; societies all over the world had to deal with the impacts of the pandemic, while our leaders were keen to pick up the pace in order to fulfill the urgent needs and look forward to building a more inclusive and sustainable future. », said Yousef Al-Benyan, chair of the B20.
Under the B20’s theme for this year: « transforming for inclusive growth », the summit discussions address the recovery phase after the pandemic and cooperation between all parties in rebuilding a more inclusive and sustainable global economy. The discussion topics will focus on the role of multilateral organizations, the digital economy, how to build a more sustainable future, and setting the stage for women in the business field.
It’s worth mentioning that the Saudi Business group announced in early October twenty-five policy recommendations to stimulate the global economy. The policy recommendations which were submitted to the G20 leaders focus on major issues such as digital transformation, free and fair trade, financing and sustainable infrastructure, integrating women into the workforce, integrity and compliance, climate change and sustainability, and the future of work and education. The full list of recommendations can be viewed here.
