Adaptation to digitalization

In July 2017, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the program “Digital Economy of Russia”, which involves the introduction of digital technologies in the most important sectors of the economy. Director of the Skolkovo Foundation Department, Sergei Isravilit, commented on Polit.ru the work of the Center for Competence in one of the directions of the program - normative regulation of the digital economy.

Director of the Department of Development and Planning of the Skolkovo Foundation Sergey Israylit. Photo: Sk.ru

Digital economy and its curators

According to the decision of the Government of the Russian Federation, the analytical center under the government will perform the functions of the project office for the implementation of the program, and the specially created ANO “Digital Economy” (ANO TsE) will organize working groups and competencies, as well as interaction with business.

“The federal executive authorities are determined by the digital economy, under the leadership of the deputy head of the government of the government Maxim Akimov, are the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Communications and a number of other state bodies,” Sergei Israelit explained.

In the ANO TsE for each of the direction indicated in the program (education, personnel, regulatory regulation, cybersecurity, the formation of research competencies, IT infrastructure), a working group has been formed, which forms its proposals in work plans, and is also a member of the process of coordination of the developed documents, giving their expert conclusions to them.

“The proposals in the work plans prepared by the Skolkovo Foundation with the participation of more than 300 experts and to date have passed discussion on the working group of ANO TSE, in the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia with the participation of interested federal executive bodies and subcommission on digital economics will be aimed at removing regulatory barriers that prevent the business from developing. In some areas (infrastructure, personnel, security, technological backlogs), the mechanisms of assistance are slightly different, but the role of the relevant working groups consisting of business representatives are similar, ”said the Skolkovo expert.

In addition to large corporations, the state power bodies - the presidential administration represented by the Presidential Assistant Andrei Belousov, the subcommission on digital economy under the leadership of Maxim Akimov, the fuel and development institutions, as well as some development institutions, including Skolkovo Foundation, have the impact on the formation of the Presidential Economy.

Sergei Isravilit described the role of the fund: “We are discussing the proposed initiatives with a wide range of experts representing both the leaders of the Russian digital business, including Yandex, 1C, Sberbank, mobile operators, as well as the entrepreneurial community, including small technological companies that are participants in IC Skolkovo”.

Goals and means

Commenting on the goal of the “Digital Economy” program - to organize systemic development and implementation of digital technologies in all areas of life - Sergei Isravilit drew attention to the already undergoing implementation of digital technologies. “Skolkovo startups have successfully implemented projects that are now customary to attribute to a digital economy, and before the adoption of the program,” the expert emphasized. “The“ Digital Economy ”program is a complex of system measures that will allow more efficiently replicate the best practices in the market, raise their status in large Russian companies and government bodies, as well as overcome infrastructure and regulatory problems that are unbearable for individual innovative companies.”

According to the expert, the adoption and subsequent implementation of the program will systematize the efforts of individual participants in the digitalization process of sectors of the economy. It is expected that the first results of such systemic work will be obtained already in 2018.

The document "Digital Economy" states that by the end of the program implementation of the digital skills, 40% of the population should have. The expert called this task too conservative. If Russia seriously counts on a rightful place in the digital economy of the 21st century, then by the middle of the next decade, 60% -70% of the country's population should have the so-called digital skills, Sergei Isravilit believes.

He also noted that for residents of small cities, possession of digital skills is more relevant than for the inhabitants of Moscow, since equal access to the possibilities of efficient work and doing business can be provided exclusively by digital infrastructure. “Remote jobs, distributed organizations, electronic Marketplace for goods and services are real tools of a digital economy, which can not do such as Russia as Russia,” said Sergey Isravilit.

At the same time, the introduction of digital technologies will lead to loss of jobs in traditional industries, such as transport, trade, finance, law, government. The reduction according to various estimates will be from 4 to 10 million jobs by 2025.

“The issue of expanding the use of all modern communications for doing business for Russian residents who do not live in million-plus cities is already very acute, since the digital economy is not only new technologies, but also the loss of jobs in traditional industries, which can only be compensated for new opportunities for adaptation to new tasks,” the representative of Skolkovo believes.

Among the new tasks that you will have to face those who do not want to be left without work are training and setting up artificial intelligence systems, working with big data, digitizing the best business practices, online trade and services. Training in new specialists is a separate issue. “The formation of the necessary competencies as a task for the system of higher and secondary specialized education is already considered within the framework of the Center for competence in personnel for the digital economy, which is formed as part of the agency of strategic initiatives,” added Sergey Isravilit.

Unfortunately, the regulators in some spheres important for the development of the digital economy, including in the field of education and labor relations, are far from always ready to ensure the improvement of regulatory in these industries that are sensitive to most Russian citizens. For example, believing that they protect the interests of Russians, the Ministry of Labor actively criticizes business proposals for the digitalization of labor relations based on personal development paths, restraining the transition to electronic labor books and electronic labor contracts.

As a result, the most revolutionary changes in this area, when coordinating the plan for regulatory regulation from the composition of work for the next year, are excluded.

“I believe that they are difficult to criticize for natural conservatism,” said Sergey Isravilit. “However, in my expert opinion, at present, the specified conservatism not only prevents the digital transformation of the Russian economy, it does not allow testing new technological solutions in the most sensitive sphere for digital transformation - the field of development of human and personnel potential even in pilot projects.”

Not only educational institutions are a conductor in the process of digitalization. The undoubted driver of the development of the digital economy is a large business. “It is large companies, or consortiums of medium -sized businesses can form technological digital platforms that ensure a change in communications and the formation of new business practices on the big data and other capabilities of the digital economy. The role of universities here should not be exaggerated - even with ideal teaching all digital skills, specialists who are deprived of a “correct” digital environment will be useless for the development of a digital economy. The exception here is, of course, the preparation of the highest managerial personnel, which can be a conductor of the digital transformation of large companies, ”the expert said.

Also, according to Sergei Israilite, a state plays a significant role in the process of digitalization, which affects the working conditions of most large Russian companies. The expert listed the priority tasks facing the state on the way to the digital economy: “Setting up to stimulating digital transformation, removing regulatory and infrastructure barriers, the restructuring of the personnel training system - these are state tasks without which the digital transformation of the business will take place extremely slowly.”