AI and Data Skills Needed to Meet Rising Demand on Scottish Government
Digital transformation and AI can make or break Scotland’s local councils as they grapple with workforce woes, according to Audit Scotland.
Scotland’s local councils face a compelling need to rapidly improve their digital skills, particularly in areas like AI.
As FutureScot covered Audit Scotland’s recent report “Delivering for the future: Responding to the workforce challenge” (full report) warns that Scottish local councils—employing around 260,000 staff—face escalating service demands that outpace workforce growth, risking financial sustainability and service quality unless they urgently upskill employees in digital technologies.
The report stresses that councils must reform service delivery, reduce back-office roles, and leverage tech to boost productivity amid challenges like recruitment difficulties and high sickness rates.
Emphasis on AI Skills
A core highlight is the explicit inclusion of AI skills as essential for future-proofing council workforces. AI is positioned as a transformative tool to reshape jobs, streamline operations, and enhance public services, with the report noting its potential to address the “scale of changes ahead” by aligning skills with emerging needs.
Specific examples include councils like Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and East Lothian deploying AI chatbots for efficient customer interactions, alongside broader applications in smart city initiatives. Moray Council has launched a new three-year digital strategy that emphasizes the integration of AI and automation to boost operational efficiency, reduce duplication in processes like HR and payroll, and enhance service accessibility for residents.
To support this, councils are investing in AI training, digital infrastructure, and dedicated skills teams. Without prioritizing AI alongside other digital competencies (e.g., online services, customer relationship management systems, and mobile devices), the report argues, councils will struggle to meet rising demands effectively.
Audit Scotland urges all 32 Scottish councils to develop robust, integrated workforce plans that prioritize digital upskilling, including AI, while fostering collaboration across the public sector for shared services and roles. Jennifer Henderson of the Accounts Commission emphasized learning from innovative councils already tackling these gaps, calling for immediate action to safeguard services.
Overall, the report paints a proactive vision: by embedding AI and digital skills, councils can not only cope with pressures but thrive, ensuring responsive, efficient public services for Scotland’s future.
Scotland’s Vision for Public Sector Data
AI skills alone won’t be enable to facilitate a wholesale transformation of Scotland’s public sector. Success with AI depends on a foundation of high quality data, and Scotland’s opportunity in the AI sector is exemplified by their approach to this requirement.
As Joyce Dalgleish describes in this blog, Scotland’s Vision for Public Sector Data is a forward-looking framework developed by the Scottish Government’s Digital Directorate in collaboration with stakeholders such as the NHS National Services Scotland and The Data Lab.
Released in draft form in late 2024, it addresses the growing role of data in public services amid challenges like strategic alignment and organizational silos. The vision emphasizes ethical, inclusive, and transformative use of data to empower citizens, drive societal benefits, and support Scotland’s priorities over the next 20 years (up to 2043).
