•H
ow can we create an environment in Germany and Europe that will ensure capabilities in information and communications technologies and in software development
that will make us less dependent and more competitive? We need our own digital
ecosystems comprised of hardware and software. We should not have to be dependent on external digital components, nor should we have to turn our data over to
strangers.
•H
ow do we manage training and skill development such that digital evaluation and
application capabilities reach a level that can satisfy the quickly shifting requirements of an economy that is driven by information and communication technology
and data collection? Jobs and entire professional profiles are affected by digitisation – new qualifications and, correspondingly, new training content are needed. We
must react to this challenge with new policies and instruments, especially regarding
informal learning in all phases of our working lives.
•H
ow can we finance the necessary technological innovations and the development of
new business models? All government research and development expenditures must
be at least at the level of the most innovative regions on the globe. Start-ups must be
in a position to be able to mobilise the resources needed to successfully introduce new
products and services to a global market.
•H
ow can we create an effective management system for the digital transformation
in Germany? A task this complex and extensive requires not only a broad-based
strategy, but also an independent center of expertise for all issues related to digitisation. A think tank that provides service and advice, coordinates the communication of
participants in this process and creates expertise for functioning market structures.
•H
ow do we provide for qualified jobs with good working conditions and codetermination, even as job structures become more and more hybrid? Work 4.0 provides
opportunities for more spatial and temporal flexibility. At the same time, there is a
danger that the boundaries between work and family or personal life become blurred.
Rules on compensation and conditions of employment as well as social insurance
systems must be rewritten.
www.de.digital
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