Mapping ICT Skills Polarisation: A Four-Regime Typology of Basic versus Above- Basic Competency Gaps Across 49 Countries
Sulaiman Alriyaee
Journal of Information Organization, Vol. 16, No. 3, 2026.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6025/jio/2026/16/3/139-163
Link: https://www.dline.info/jio/fulltext/v16n3/jiov16n3_3.pdf
Abstract:
Digital transformation has elevated ICT skills to a foundational capability for economic participation and
social inclusion, yet existing frameworks rarely examine the internal structure of digital competencies. This
study addresses that gap by constructing an empirically grounded four regime typology of ICT skills
polarisation based on the relative prevalence of basic versus above basic communication and collaboration
competencies across 49 countries. Drawing on the ITU ICT_SKLS_COM_CB indicator, the analysis integrates
descriptive inequality metrics (Gini coefficient, median absolute deviation, interquartile range, and a
composite inequality index), principal component analysis, and dual clustering algorithms (K-means and
hierarchical Ward). Results reveal a pronounced structural polarisation: above basic skills are, on average,
4.63 times more prevalent than basic skills, with an absolute gap of approximately 53 percentage points.
Principal component analysis confirms that this basic-versus-above-basic contrast constitutes the dominant
axis of cross country variation, explaining 88.51% of total variance. The resulting four regime typology Low
inequality (1 country), Moderate inequality (3 countries), High inequality (16 countries), and Very high
inequality (29 countries) is robust across clustering algorithms (Adjusted Rand Index = 0.853) and multiple
validation criteria. Critically, 91.8% of countries exhibit large positive gaps, indicating that structural
polarisation rather than uniform skill scarcity is the prevailing global pattern. The typology offers policymakers
a regime specific diagnostic tool and informs higher education curriculum design by demonstrating
the inadequacy of average attainment metrics for capturing digital skills inequality.