Mikkel Kamp, editor of Nordic Network for Lifelong Learning, writes about municipal employees who spend thousands of hours helping citizens with digital tasks, when they should be concentrating on totally different tasks.
Read this article in Norwegian on Arbeidsliv i Norden
According to the article, Denmark is one of the most digitalised countries in the world. It works well for the majority, but not for all – one in five Danes say it is a problem.
Between 17 and 22 per cent of adult Danes are considered to be so-called “digitally vulnerable”, the Danish Agency for Digital Government concluded in a 2021 report.
It also pointed out that it is not just older citizens who face challenges, it affects a broad cross-section of the population.
So what do those who struggle with the digital world do? They get help from family, friends – and municipal employees.
Employees in Danish municipalities spend thousands of full-time equivalent years and millions of kroner providing digital support, even though it is not part of their job.
This is according to a report from the Danish Association of Local Authorities (KL), which was due to be published in 2021 but has never been made public.
Digitally vulnerable citizens represent a challenge that has not been properly dealt with, believes Ina Bækgaard, who is currently writing a PhD thesis on the subject.
