WIREDGOV

UK up one place in World Economic Forum's Networked Readiness Index

The World Economic Forum has released The Global Information Technology Report 2015, which saw the UK ranked 8th, up one place from 2014. In response to the report, Julian David, CEO of techUK commented:

"The fact that the UK has risen to 8th place in the Network Readiness Index shows that we are moving in the right direction. However, the improvement is not at the pace or scale needed for the economy to take full advantage of the benefits technology has to offer.

"It's telling that although the UK comes third in Use of Social Networks, we are not in the top 10 Tech Savvy Governments. This government has made significant changes to try to improve this position including opening up government data, appointing Mike Bracken as CDO and using GDS to develop exemplars. It has also published a significant new idea in the concept of government as a platform. However the WEF rating shows that the next government must make strides to improve against this measure, by using technology to transform public services, increase productivity; and secure a million new jobs that help drive an inclusive and secure society. We believe the key to this is working closely with the full range of UK based private sector suppliers. As the trade association for over 800 innovative digital tech companies we look forward to working with the next government to engage all our members, large and small, in helping the UK climb the rankings, and become the global digital leader."