DTI issues digital conversion checklist for MSMEs

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) says it has launched a self-assessment tool for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that will allow them to assess the degree to which they are ready to embark on digital transformation.

At the second meeting of the E-Commerce Promotion Council, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez says businesses must seize the opportunities offered by the digital economy and equip themselves with the skills needed to navigate digitally-enhanced markets.

Mr Lopez said MSMEs could take an exam online and get a scorecard that would recommend specific training topics to help MSMEs move forward with their digital transformation.

“MSMEs can choose to visit the DTI website or the NegosyoCenter.online website and its learning resources. They can go to their nearest negotiating center to ask about the next steps from how to create an e-mail account (Level 0) to Data Analysis (Level 3). We have information available for small, medium and large enterprises, and DTI is here to help, ”added Mr. Lopez.

The MSME Diagnostic Toolkit was developed by Thames International for DTI.

In a baseline survey conducted by DTI to identify the level of digitization among MSMEs in the Philippines, only 6% of respondents said they employed advanced digital tools for their business while 23% reported not using digital tools at all.

Meanwhile, DTI’s employment outlook for the e-commerce industry stood at 86.7% in the e-commerce job outlook index.

“One of the key strategies of the e-commerce Philippines 2022 roadmap is to provide a talent pool of digitally skilled workers. Skills mismatch is often cited as a perennial problem in various industries and if we want to achieve maximum growth for the e-commerce sector, we must understand the e-commerce workforce ecosystem and identify demand requirements so that we can provide relevant skills. Mr. Lopez said.

The Job Outlook survey further reveals that MSMEs need more digital talent in terms of content creation and technical expertise, while large companies are looking for digital talent skilled in business intelligence and strategy.

DTI says it plans to collaborate with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to create a digitally skilled talent pool to meet the needs of the industry. – Ram Christian S. Augustine