Digitization in municipalities: Will is there, but money is missing
A large majority of Swiss municipalities see the digitalization of their internal work tools and external services as an opportunity to become more efficient. According to a new survey on the status of digitalization in municipalities, half of them have already designated their own digitalization office.
For the fourth time, the "Myni Gmeind" association, in collaboration with the Swiss Association of Municipalities and the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, surveyed Swiss municipalities on the progress of their digital transformation. Of the total of 2131 Swiss municipalities, 560 municipalities (26 percent) completed the questionnaire in full and a further 1121 municipalities (53 percent) completed it in part. This pleasing response rate provides a solid pool of data that allows for meaningful findings.
Digitization in municipalities as a top topic
Digitalization and cybersecurity are the topics that municipalities are currently most concerned with, alongside others such as infrastructure projects and finances. According to the survey, four out of five municipalities see the digital transformation as a means of increasing their efficiency, and just as many also see it as a service for the population. "The digital transformation has finally arrived in municipal councils and administrations," says Alex Sollberger, President of Myni Gmeind. 41% of all municipalities now see themselves as pioneers in the field of digitalization. This is significantly more than in the previous year, when only a third of municipalities answered this question in the affirmative.
The results also show that it is not necessarily digital skills or know-how that are decisive for the success of digitalization, but rather openness to the topic. The municipalities also identified a clear political will for digital transformation as the most important success factor. 61% of those surveyed stated that they felt this will in their municipality to a greater or lesser extent.
Problem: Human and financial resources
Just as important as the will and openness towards digitalization is the availability of human and financial resources, as the majority of respondents state. However, there is a gap between desire and reality: only 42% of municipalities state that the financial requirements for digital transformation are given or rather given. When asked about the availability of human resources, only a third of the participating municipalities gave a positive assessment. A clear majority of respondents rate their human resources for digital transformation as insufficient or somewhat insufficient. The municipalities see the solution as either increasing personnel resources by creating additional full-time equivalents or temporarily outsourcing tasks to external service providers. "Both options would generate additional human resources for the digital transformation, but would also increase the challenges in terms of financial resources," says Alex Sollberger.
One thing is clear: no one can avoid digital transformation today. The public's expectations of modern administration have grown. Especially in Switzerland, a high-wage country, it makes sense to automate processes as much as possible. Digitalization can also help to alleviate the shortage of skilled workers in the long term. In the meantime, almost half of all municipalities (47%) have already defined a position or person to coordinate the digital transformation across all departments.
Source and further information: Swiss Association of Municipalities, Myni Gmeind Association
