The Microsoft Skills Gap

 

Searching for a job can be difficult, similarly, working toward advancement in your organisation is also demanding. According to Inc, Microsoft is the most widely-used business software in the world and will go a long way in helping you reach your job-related goals.

Here at Acuity Training, we know the importance of being able to use Microsoft programs, so we wanted to discover if there is a skills gap in this area according to demographics such as age, gender and region.

We have therefore carried out a survey questioning 1,000 UK office workers on their confidence in using Microsoft Office tools, to ascertain if there is in fact a skills gap.

 

What Is Microsoft?

Microsoft is a US-based technology company that was established by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. The technology company grew rapidly to become the world’s largest software company. Although Microsoft is known mainly for its software, the company also creates hardware and supplies a range of cloud services.

Microsoft’s headquarters are situated in Redmond, Washington, but the technology company has corporate offices and data centres all around the world.

This post will concentrate on Microsoft Office, which is a suite of applications designed to help office workers and the general population alike with their productivity and completing common tasks on their computers.

Microsoft’s most recognisable software titles include Access, Excel, Outlook, Power Automate, Power BI, Powerpoint, Project, SharePoint, Visio and Word. 

Many companies now use Office 365 which is an umbrella subscription giving them access to the whole Microsoft Office suite.

 

Why Is Acquiring Skills In Using Microsoft Office So Important?

Microsoft Office is widely used (especially Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) because of its ease-of-use, accessibility, interactivity, and adaptability across multiple operating systems; this has made Microsoft tools the most commonly used within companies worldwide.

Knowing how to use Microsoft products provides workers with an advantage when job hunting. If you look at any job description, you’ll usually find that knowledge of at least one Microsoft product is a requirement for the job.

Finally, knowledge of Microsoft allows for greater efficiency when completing tasks. When you learn how to use Microsoft programs properly, it will increase your productivity.

 

Survey Key Findings

The survey clearly highlights there are significant differences in confidence using Microsoft tools in accordance with age.

The youngest age group (18 to 34 year olds) are much more likely to be confident in using Microsoft tools when compared to the older age groups.

For example, out of all the age groups, 18 to 24 year olds in the survey answered most often that they feel very confident using Microsoft Access at 12%. By contrast, the oldest age group, the over 65’s, answered that they feel very unconfident using Microsoft Access the most at 34%.

Perhaps it is to be expected as they are typically the most tech-savvy of all the age groups as they have grown up with technology. The good news for the oldest age group, however, is that they are more likely to feel very confident compared to the younger age groups with Microsoft tools that require using data, such as Excel.

It is clear that much more needs to be done in workplaces to level up the confidence of men and women using Microsoft tools. The data visibly demonstrates that men feel much more confident than women do using the majority of the tools. 

For instance, there is a large percentage difference for the genders in their confidence using Microsoft Access; 30% of women feel very unconfident compared to just 18% for men.

Although there were no clear patterns in the regional data, the city that appears to have the most people feeling very confident in using a range of tools was Gloucester.

 

Microsoft Training

We also discovered that only 12% of those office workers surveyed receive regular Microsoft Office training in their current workplace and a whopping 49% have never received training to date.

UK office workers clearly believe in the benefits of learning Microsoft Office with 72% answering that they agree they would benefit from receiving more Microsoft Office software training.

 

 

We also tested 1,000 office workers asking them what they think the correct formula for the AVERAGE function in Microsoft Excel is. Interestingly, 31% admitted they have no idea. Furthermore, 12% got it wrong, suggesting the formula in an incorrect format. And finally, 57% did know the correct answer. 

To discover how confident office workers are with using Microsoft tools, respondents of the survey answered with a number out of 10. In first place was Word with an average of 7.81, in second place was Outlook with an average of 7.8 and finally in third place was Excel with an average of 6.85.

However, the Microsoft tools our respondents were least confident in were Power Automate with an average of 2.66, Power BI with an average of 2.83 and finally Visio with an average of 2.94.

 

Overall Survey Results

 

Word

Microsoft Word, which is an extremely popular word-processing program used for creating documents, such as brochures, letters and quizzes. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, Word scored 7.81.

The 55 to 64 age bracket were most likely to answer that they feel very confident using Word at 32%. The older age demographics were also most likely to respond in the survey that they feel very unconfident using Word, with both the 55 to 64 year olds and the over 65’s at 4%.

It is also important to note that none of the youngest age group in the survey (18-24) answered that they were very unconfident using Word.

Moreover, the good news is that both genders are exactly the same in their confidence levels using Microsoft Word at 28%. There was also not much of a contrast in the percentages of those who felt very unconfident using Microsoft Word; for men, it was just 1% and for women only 2%.

Finally, the city where office workers are most likely to respond that they are very confident in using Word was Wrexham, at 10%. However, the cities that responded that they were very unconfident in using Word were both Cardiff and Wolverhampton at 50%.

 

Outlook

Outlook allows users to send and receive email messages, manage their online calendar, store names and numbers of their contacts, and track their tasks. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, Outlook scored 7.8.

Both the 25 to 34 and 55 to 64 age groups answered the most out of all the age cohorts that they feel very confident using Outlook at 29%. On the other hand, the age demographic that were most likely to answer that they feel very unconfident using Outlook was the over 65’s.

When looking at gender, men were once again more likely to answer that they feel very confident in using Outlook at 30% compared to 25%. The difference in the percentage of women compared to men feeling very unconfident using Outlook was smaller, at just 2% for women and 1% for men.

Office workers whose nearest UK city was York were most likely to respond that they were very confident in using the email application Outlook at 64%. However, the city that answered the most that they felt very unconfident using Outlook was Wrexham at 10%.

 

Excel

Excel is a software program that uses spreadsheets to organise numbers and data with formulas and functions. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, Excel scored 6.85.

The over 65’s age bracket were most likely to answer that they feel very confident using Excel at 21%. However, the age demographic that was most likely to respond in the survey that they feel very unconfident using Excel was the second oldest age demographic (55 to 64) at 6%.

From exploring gender, men were more likely than women to respond that they were very confident in using Microsoft Excel at 19% compared to 12%. However, there was no difference in the percentages of men and women who feel very unconfident using Excel at 2% for both genders.

Office workers whose nearest UK city was Gloucester were most likely to answer that they were very confident using Excel at 44%, on the other hand, the city that responded most that they are very unconfident using Access was Wrexham at 20%.

 

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a powerful slide show presentation program whereby users can present their information with rich multimedia. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, PowerPoint scored 6.19.

The second youngest age demographic (24 to 34), were most likely to answer that they feel very confident using Powerpoint at 17%. On the other hand, the cohort that was most likely to answer that they feel very unconfident using PowerPoint was the 55 to 64 age group.

The percentages were a lot more balanced for the confidence of men and women using PowerPoint. 11% of women and 15% of men answered that they feel very confident using PowerPoint and 8% of women and 6% of men answered that they feel very unconfident using PowerPoint.

The respondents in the survey whose nearest UK city was Wolverhampton were most likely to respond that they were very confident in using the presentation program PowerPoint at 38%. However, the city that felt they were very unconfident in using PowerPoint was Brighton and Hove at 21%.

 

SharePoint

Organisations use SharePoint to create websites, they can also place to store, organise, share, and access information from any device. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, SharePoint scored 4.49.

The 55 to 64 year old demographic were the most likely to respond in the survey that they are very confident using Sharepoint at 5%. On the other hand, the age demographic that were most likely to answer that they feel very unconfident using the Microsoft tool SharePoint, were the over 65’s at 51%.

When exploring gender, men were marginally more likely than women to answer that they were very confident in using Microsoft Sharepoint at 7% and 4% respectively. Furthermore, more women than men answered in the survey that they feel very unconfident when using Sharepoint; 25% compared to 18%.

Aberystwyth bucked the trend as the UK city that was most likely to answer that they were very confident in using SharePoint at 33%. Conversely, the city that responded that they are very unconfident using SharePoint the most was Wrexham with 40%.

 

Access

Microsoft Access is an information management tool (also termed a relational database) and it helps users store their information for reference, reporting and analysis. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, Access scored 3.97.

The survey revealed the youngest age bracket (18 to 24) were most likely to answer that they feel very confident using Microsoft Access at 12%. On the other hand, the oldest age demographic, the over 65’s were most likely to answer that they feel very unconfident using Access at 34%.

Additionally, men were marginally more likely than women to answer that they were very confident in using Microsoft Access at 5% and 4% respectively. However, there was a more substantial difference in the percentage of women compared to men feeling very unconfident using Access at 30% for women compared to just 18% for men.

When exploring the regional data, the UK city that was most likely to answer that they were very confident using Access was Gloucester at 33%. The city that responded  that they are very unconfident in using Access the most was Aberystwyth with 67% answering this.

 

Project

Project is management software made for project managers so they can control their tasks. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, Project scored 3.35.

The 25 to 34 age bracket were most likely to respond that they feel very confident using the management software at 17%. Conversely, the age demographic that responded the most that they feel very unconfident using Project were the 55 to 64 year olds at 16%.

The percentage of men compared to women who responded in the survey that they feel very confident using Microsoft Project was just 3% for both genders. Conversely, there was a significant difference in the percentage of women compared to men feeling very unconfident using Project at 40% compared to just over a quarter for men (26%).

The city most likely to answer that they are very confident in using the management software, Project, was Wolverhampton with one quarter agreeing with the statement (25%). However, the city that responded that they were very unconfident in using Project the most was once again Aberystwyth at 67%.

 

Visio

Visio is software used for drawing a large variety of diagrams. These include flowcharts, general charts, building plans, floor plans and data flow diagrams. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, Visio scored 2.94.

The 18 to 24 cohort were most likely to answer in the survey that they feel very confident using Visio at 8%. However, the age demographic that were most likely to answer that they feel very unconfident using the Microsoft software was the over 65’s at 53%.

In addition, when exploring gender and confidence using Visio, the percentages that answered that they were very confident were almost the same for both genders; at 2% for women and 3% for men. Conversely, there was a much larger difference in the percentage of women compared to men feeling very unconfident using Visio at 46% for women and 30% for men.

Office workers whose nearest UK city was Gloucester were most likely to respond that they were very confident in using the drawing software Visio at 11%. Conversely, the city that felt that they were very unconfident in using Visio was once again, Aberystwyth at 67%.

 

Power BI

Power BI is interactive data visualisation software, it has a range of services, apps and connectors that allow users to convert a wide variety of sources into logical data insights and easily distributed dashboards and reports. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, Power BI scored 2.83.

Although still a small percentage, the 18 to 24 cohort were most likely to answer that they feel very confident using Power BI at 8%. However, the age demographic that were most likely to answer that they feel very unconfident using Power BI were the over 65’s at just over half of those surveyed (55%).

In addition, slightly more men than women answered that they feel very confident in using Microsoft Power BI at 3% compared to 1%. Furthermore, more women than men answered that they feel very unconfident using Power BI at 46% for women and 35% for men.

Those respondents whose nearest UK city was Gloucester were most likely to answer that they were very confident in using data visualisation software, Power BI at 22%. On the other hand, the city that replied to the survey that they felt very unconfident in using Power BI the most was yet again, Aberystwyth with everyone surveyed answering that they feel very unconfident using the software tool (100%).

 

Power Automate

Power Automate is an online tool used for the creation of automated workflows between apps and services to synchronise files, receive notifications, and collect data. On average, out of a score of 10 for how confident office workers were with using the tool, Power Automate scored 2.66.

The youngest age bracket in the survey (18 to 24) were most likely to answer that they feel very confident using Microsoft Power Automate at 4%. Conversely, the age demographic that were most likely to answer that they feel very unconfident using Power Automate were the over 65’s at 57%.

In terms of gender, the percentage of men and women that were very confident in using Power Automate was just 2% for both genders. However, the percentage of women who answered that they feel very unconfident using the software was much higher than men at 49% compared to 38%.

The respondents who live near or in the city of Norwich were most likely to answer that they were very confident in using the online creation tool at 9%. However, the city that responded that they were very unconfident in using Power Automate was Aberystwyth with everyone surveyed responding that they felt very unconfident using the online tool (100%).

 

Some Final Thoughts

We hope that you are now a little clearer on what software Microsoft offers and where the UK has skills gaps.

For those aiming to gain a more in depth knowledge, we have ​​a range of courses in London and Guildford, in addition to office and online courses.

You can also opt for a course customised exactly to the topics you need to cover. Our private courses run on dates to suit you and your colleagues, either at your office or in one of our centres.

All our training is hands-on, as we believe that useful real-life skills are developed through individual practice combined with expert coaching. The exercises during our training are carefully chosen to reinforce the key learning points and build your confidence when working with them.

Image credits: Tech Air, Flickr, PNG EGG, Logos Download, pixabay, Priority Matrix