Britain’s 9.4 million science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers are losing an average of six hours each week due to limited access to the right AI tools, new research has claimed.
A report from STEM recruitment company SThree has declared the lack of suitable artificial intelligence is costing £64 billion annually in productivity shortfall.
Moreover, SThree pointed out that, despite government efforts to establish the UK as an AI hub, workers are being left behind compared with other countries.
STEM workers are being deprived of AI
Around one-third (30%) of UK STEM professionals identified productivity as the area most impacted by the lack of artificial intelligence, with one in five adding that a full day each week was being wasted on tasks that could be made more efficient with AI.
“There is a huge STEM skills gap in the economy yet here we have STEM specialists crying out for change to become more productive,” noted SThree UK MD Tom Way.
Alarmingly, a lack of digital literacy among leaders was highlighted as a hurdle, with three in five (59%) labeling their leadership as ‘digitally illiterate.’
Despite the optimism surrounding AI’s potential impact on growth, 45% reported their leaders do not understand the value of AI in enhancing job performance.
The worker-leader divide is apparent in other areas, too – 82% of the STEM employees surveyed have proposed technological improvements, but 71% found their ideas dismissed.
“If any type of worker can identify the positive benefits of AI, it’s a STEM professional. Business leaders must catch up with the rapid pace of technological development, and it is clear in some cases that means being far more open-minded about AI,” Way added.
More from TechRadar Pro