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Pandemic has accelerated digital upskilling, but key groups still miss out – PwC survey

While 40% of workers say their digital skills improved during the lockdown, data shows unequal access to career and training opportunities

LONDON, March 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — One of the largest-ever studies of the global workforce shows:

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  • Two in five believe their job will be obsolete within 5 years
  • Half of the global workforce report missing out on career opportunities due to bias
  • Training opportunities focused on those who already have high levels of skills
  • Younger people report being more focused on maximising income than ‘making a difference’
  • Only 1 in 10 of those who can work remotely want to go back to a traditional commute and work environment full time
  • But people are taking their future into their own hands:  77% are ready to learn new skills or completely re-train and 49% would like to set up their own business

A new survey of 32,500 workers in 19 countries paints a picture of a global workforce that sees the shift to remote working as just the tip of the iceberg. Reflecting the fact the pandemic has accelerated a number of workforce trends, 60% are worried that automation is putting many jobs at risk; 48% believe ‘traditional employment won’t be around in the future’ and 39% think it is likely that their job will be obsolete within 5 years.

However, this is not a counsel of despair, as 40% of workers say their digital skills have been improved through the prolonged period of lockdown, and claim they’ll continue to embrace training and skill development. 77% are ‘ready to learn new skills or completely re-train’ and 74% see training as a matter of personal responsibility. And, 80% are confident they can adapt to new technologies entering their workplace, with a large majority of those asked in India (69%) and in South Africa (66%) saying they are ‘very’ confident.

In addition, 49% of respondents are focused on building entrepreneurial skills with an interest in setting up their own business.

Half of workforce report missing out on career opportunities or training due to prejudice

The survey also found that 50% of workers say they’ve faced discrimination at work which led to them missing out on career advancement or training. 13% report missing out on opportunities as a result of ethnicity and 14% of workers have experienced discrimination on the grounds of gender, with women twice as likely to report gender discrimination as men. 13% report discrimination on the basis of class, with post-graduates and others with higher qualifications more likely to report prejudice. Younger people are as likely as older people to report discrimination based on age.

On top of that, the survey found there are disparities in access to upskilling opportunities. While 46% of people with postgraduate degrees say their employer gives them many opportunities to improve their digital skills, just 28% of people with school-leaver qualifications say the same. Industries like retail or transport, which are most at risk of disruption, score just 25% and 20% respectively; while banking scores 42%.

“If current patterns in access to training persist, upskilling will increase social inequality when it should be doing precisely the opposite,” said Bhushan Sethi, Joint Global Leader of PwC’s People and Organization Practice. “Government and business leaders need to work together to intensify efforts to ensure people in the most-at risk industries and groups get the opportunities they need. Automation and technological disruption are inevitable, but we can control whether its negative effects are managed or not.”

Younger people more focused on maximising income than ‘making a difference’ if forced to choose

Three-quarters of workers globally (75%) say they want to work for an organisation that will make a ‘positive contribution to society.’ This feeling was especially acute in China (87%), India (90%), and South Africa (90%).

However, economic insecurity is limiting people’s ability to pursue purpose driven careers, with younger people particularly affected. Overall, 54% of those polled said, if forced to choose, they would prefer a job that enabled them to ‘take every opportunity to maximise their income’ over a job that ‘makes a difference’ (46%).

Interestingly, those between 18 and 34 are more likely than other generations to prioritise income over purpose in their job with 57% prioritising ‘maximising their income’ over ‘making a difference’ (43%), a margin of 14 points. Those over 55 prioritise making a difference by a margin of 8 points, which rises to 22 points amongst workers over 65.

“As the world continues to grapple with a global health crisis and economic uncertainty, we’ve seen workers come to demand more from the business community, expecting their employers to make a positive contribution to society,” said Peter Brown, Joint Global Leader of PwC’s People and Organization Practice. “Fortunately, focusing on societal impact and maximising profit are not mutually exclusive, and being a purpose-led business can actually help boost your bottom line.”

Employees want the option to work remotely moving forward

The survey concludes that remote working will persist post-lockdown. Of those who can work remotely, 72% of say they prefer a mixture of in-person and remote working, with only 9% stating they’d like to go back to their traditional work environment full-time. This is particularly true of professionals, office workers, business owners and the self-employed, all of whom are able to perform their jobs remotely using technology. Home working need not be limited to professional jobs. 43% of manual workers and 45% of semi-skilled workers say there are many elements of their job that they are able to do remotely.

People’s attitudes to working from home also change by location, providing further evidence of how the pandemic has increased the global digital divide. Workers in metropolitan areas (66%) are more likely to work in roles that could allow remote working than those who live in rural areas (44%).

Workers torn on privacy and technology

44% of workers globally would agree to let their employer use technology to monitor their performance at work including sensors and wearable devices, with 31% against. However, many would not go as far as allowing their employers access to their personal data. 41% of respondents said that they were unwilling to give their employer access to their personal data including social media profiles, with only 35% willing.

Notes to editors

Between 26 January, 2021 and 8 February, 2021, PwC commissioned a survey of 32,517 members of the general public. Respondents included workers, business owners, contract workers, students, unemployed people looking for work, and those on furlough or who were temporarily laid off. The survey polled workers in 19 countries:  Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UAE, UK, and the US.

About PwC

At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 155 countries with over 284,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.

PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

© 2021 PwC. All rights reserved

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Lumina Datamatics Wins IMC RBNQA – Performance Excellence Trophy 2025 in the Service Category

MUMBAI, India, May 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Lumina Datamatics, a strategic partner to global publishers and eCommerce retailers, has won the IMC RBNQA – Performance Excellence Trophy 2025 in the Service category. The award was presented at a prestigious ceremony held at the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Mumbai on 30th April 2026.

This esteemed recognition is part of the IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality (RBNQ) Awards for 2025, one of India’s most respected benchmarks for organizational excellence. The award underscores Lumina Datamatics’ unwavering commitment to business excellence, quality-driven processes, and continuous performance improvement. Notably, Lumina Datamatics Limited is the only organization recognized in the service segment this year, representing excellence across the Business Process Management spectrum.

The selection followed a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process conducted by an eminent panel of judges, assessing organizations on key parameters such as leadership, strategy, customer focus, operational effectiveness, and overall business performance.

Speaking on the achievement, Sameer Kanodia, Managing Director & CEO, Lumina Datamatics, and Vice Chairman & CEO, TNQTech said, “We are deeply honored to receive this recognition. This achievement reflects the collective dedication, collaboration, and relentless focus on quality demonstrated by our teams across the organization. It reinforces our commitment to delivering consistent value to our clients worldwide while continuously striving for excellence in everything we do.”

The milestone highlights Lumina Datamatics’ strong foundation in operational excellence and its ongoing efforts to set new benchmarks in service delivery across global markets.

About Lumina Datamatics:

Lumina Datamatics is a trusted partner in providing digital Content Services, Retail Support Services, and Technology Solutions to companies in the Publishing and Retail Industries worldwide. We are among the largest service providers in the Content space, and our customers include 8 of the top 10 academic publishers and 3 of the 5 largest Retailers and Marketplaces. Lumina Datamatics’ expert solutions combine its various in-house and client-facing platforms, partnerships with global technology leaders, and more than 7,500 professionals across the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Philippines, and India. This integrated global capability enables the company to deliver scalable, high-quality solutions to clients worldwide.

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HOP Events, helmed by Kalpesh Kinariwala, bridges Indian talent and global prestige at the Shows of India 2026 Conclave

  • The anchor sponsorship of the Shows of India 2026 Conclave marks HOP Events’ official pathway into the Indian subcontinent; the UAE-based premium live entertainment company aims to source and showcase extraordinary Indian talent in the markets it operates in.
  • This move will bridge the gap between iconic Indian artists — rooted in Indian and South Asian culture — and world-class international venues and global audiences.
  • In addition to headlining the conclave as its anchor sponsor, HOP Events also made its presence felt in crucial conversations and networking hubs, with Founder and Chairman Kalpesh Kinariwala gracing the conclave as a speaker.

NEW DELHI, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HOP Events, a UAE-based premium live entertainment company, made landfall on Indian shores through the eagerly awaited Shows of India 2026 Conclave. The sixth edition of the event, which drew to a close on May 2, brought together high-profile industry veterans, change-makers, and disruptors who are shaping the future of India’s live entertainment economy.

Led by industry trailblazer Kalpesh Kinariwala, HOP Events not only participated as the anchor sponsor for the conclave but also broke new ground by offering Indian talent and agencies unprecedented inroads into global markets and prestigious productions.

Held at Delhi’s upscale The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, the two-day Shows of India 2026 Conclave is India’s most anticipated flagship gathering focused on the live entertainment, events, and experiential segments. It brings together key players from across the industry’s value chain, including event professionals, artist managers, promoters, brands, and creators, and facilitates industry-shaping conversations and collaborations.

HOP Events’ rationale for backing the Shows of India 2026 Conclave was simple but powerful – as a hub for some of the greatest artistic talent in the world, India stands to benefit immensely from HOP Events’ proven expertise in the premium live entertainment industry. With the conclave sitting at the intersection of India’s creative excellence and its commercial ambition, it is the perfect avenue for HOP Events to seek the artists, managers, collaborators, and cultural voices they want to elevate and present to the world. This anchor sponsorship is thus a declaration of HOP Events’ intent to champion Indian talent and carry it far beyond India’s borders.

Elaborating further on the sponsorship, Kalpesh Kinariwala, Founder and Chairman of HOP Events, who also spoke at the conclave, shared:

“India is producing some of the most streamed, most loved, and most culturally significant artists on the planet. Arijit Singh ranks ninth among Spotify’s top artists globally. A.R. Rahman has 75 million followers and ranks ahead of global superstars. Rishab Sharma is the number one followed sitar player in the world. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Aditya Gadhvi, Anuv Jain — these are artists with massive, passionate global fanbases.

Yet their presence on international stages, particularly in the Gulf and beyond, remains far below what their stature deserves. That is the opportunity HOP Events is seizing. The UAE is home to a millions-strong South Asian diaspora — professionals, families, and communities who are hungry for these artists and have both the means and the desire to attend premium live experiences. The Shows of India 2026 Conclave gives us the needed platform to engage with this talent ecosystem at exactly the moment when appetite for Indian talent on the global stage has never been higher.”

The conclave’s growing eminence as a premium, high-production-value platform was further underscored by its association with HOP Events, an industry leader in creating large-scale experiential events. Through the years, the Shows of India Conclave has differentiated itself through its trailblazing properties and a star-studded artist line-up. By essaying the role of anchor sponsor for India’s premier business and entertainment conclave, HOP Events is throwing the doors open for partnerships with Indian artist managers, talent agencies, record labels, and creative professionals.

As the force behind the sold-out Etihad Arena concert with Arijit Singh, A.R. Rahman, and Rishab Sharma, HOP Events knows what it takes to market Indian artists to global audiences, fill premium venues, and create experiences that do justice to the cultural magnitude these artists carry.

In the mid-to-long term, HOP Events aims to become the defining bridge between Indian artistic talent and the global stage. The company is actively scaling across the GCC and extending further into South Asian diaspora hubs globally, with the goal of bringing world-class talent backed by high-end productions and marketing sophistication to deep, passionate, and underserved audiences for Indian and South Asian cultural experiences.

About HOP Events

Founded by industry veteran Kalpesh Kinariwala, HOP Events is one of the UAE’s most prestigious names in premium live entertainment. It is hailed for curating global live experiences across the UAE and beyond. The company brings together eminent international artists, creativity, and immaculate organization on one stage, delivering world-class live concerts and entertainment experiences that make a lasting impression on the cultural fabric of the region. HOP Events’ expertise spans from close-up intimate performances to sold-out iconic arenas and includes notable names such as Arijit Singh, A.R. Rahman, and Rishab Sharma. The company differentiates itself through the three pillars of innovation, excellence, and a strong community focus. In doing so, it creates experiences that anchor communities, build connection, and foster a stronger sense of belonging, while delighting audiences with seamless execution, elevated experiences, and disruptive thinking.

https://hopevents.ae/

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MSEED and SCOPE Global Skills University Sign Strategic Partnership to Shape the Future of Experiential Marketing Education

MUMBAI, India and BHOPAL, India, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Premium education institute MSEED (The Management School of Events and Experience Design) today partnered with SCOPE Global Skills University, Bhopal, to introduce a two-year MBA in Event Management and Experiential Marketing.

Besides boosting students academically, this association intends to equip them with the evolving demands of events and the experiential marketing ecosystem. Furthermore, the collaboration will be fueled by industry expertise and academic structure, helping students build a career in the fast-growing fields of events, entertainment, and experiential marketing.

At a time when experiential marketing is ‘evolving from a tactical activation to a strategic growth engine for brands’, this collaboration serves right.

Speaking on this exclusive partnership between MSEED and SCOPE, Joshua Newman, Vice-President – Marketing & Partnerships, MSEED, said, “Our focus has always been on outcomes, not just education. This partnership allows us to extend that vision by working with SCOPE Global Skills University to create a program that prepares students for real careers. From curriculum to classroom delivery and industry exposure, every aspect is designed to ensure that students graduate with confidence, clarity, and practical experience.”

The MBA program is designed to:

  • Provide a recognized postgraduate qualification with a specialized focus
  • Build practical skills through real-world projects and case studies
  • Offering industry interaction, mentorship, and exposure
  • Support students with internship and placement opportunities

Dr. Vijay Singh, Vice Chancellor of SGSU, hailed the launch as a landmark moment for the city. “This is a remarkable event not just for our university, but for the city of Bhopal. We are witnessing a paradigm shift in how specialized education is delivered in Madhya Pradesh. By launching this MBA in Event Management, we are providing our youth with a platform to master the art of execution, creativity, and management right here in their home state,” he said.

The partnership was formally cemented through the signing of an agreement between the two institutions in the esteemed presence of Mangubhai C. Patel, the current and 19th Governor of Madhya Pradesh, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of industry-integrated education in India.

For more information on events and experiential marketing, please visit our website.

Media Contacts:

For media inquiries, please contact

Tasneem Limbdiwala

tasneem@mseededucation.com 

About MSEED

MSEED, a part of EVA Group, India’s one of the largest live event companies, and backed by 200 odd industry veterans, the institute brings with it deep-rooted industry expertise and real-world insights. It is a creative business institute designed for the next generation of storytellers, strategists, producers, and brand builders. The mission is not just to prepare students for jobs, but to lead industries. 

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