Digital inclusion: invest €1, gain €9
The Good Things Foundation from the UK published an interesting report on digital inclusion. The report tells us that purely in economic terms, a £1.4 billion investment in digital inclusion in the UK yields £13.7 billion. For every pound invested, the result is a £9.48 profit. CEBR (Centre for Economics and Business Research) conducted this research on behalf of Good Things Foundation.
Everyone benefits from digital inclusion: it saves time for users and the government. Digital inclusion brings more people into work. In Belgium, the situation is not improving. Just where 1 year ago 40% of Belgians lacked digital skills, they are 46% today, says the King Baudouin Foundation’s Digital Barometer. For disadvantaged groups, the figure is 70 %.
Where does the profit on digital inclusion come from?
Increased online purchases: £3.5 billion
Profit on use of online financial services:£3.9 billion
Filling jobs on demand with basic digital skills: £2.7 billion
Efficiency of public services : £1.4 billion
Healthcare efficiency: £899 million
Savings on transition to more digitally proficient work: £586 million
Tax gain: £483 million
Savings from more people finding jobs: £179 million
Impact on ecology: £76 million
Request: which research institute feels inclined to convert this to the Belgian situation. Maks vzw is asking. This is how we prove that every euro invested in digital inclusion is worth its weight in gold.