Creating a user-centric government with low-code adoption

It’s not news that Australia is currently facing a talent crunch due to record low unemployment. But the effects of this are even more pronounced for the public sector, which is unable to hire internationally, or even interstate in many instances. The latest ABS data shows that while private sector hiring has slowed by more than 3% due to global economic uncertainty, public sector vacancies are actually up 10.5% since May 2022.

Alongside frontline workers, we are facing an especially acute shortage of tech talent — with the Tech Council of Australia estimating that Australia will need around 260,000 more people to enter the tech workforce by 2025 to meet the growing demands of the IT sector. Despite this shortage, the demand for digital products and services continues to increase.

Like their global counterparts, Australian public sector organisations must find solutions that can help them bring the necessary digital solutions to market when they are needed. But this can be challenging — if legacy systems, paper-based processes and mountains of data weren’t enough to disincentivise organisational agility, government procurement cycles might do the job.

One of the ways the public sector can tackle these challenges is through the adoption of low-code platforms in software development. According to Mendix’s recent Low Code Verticals Study, it is estimated that by 2024 low-code will overtake traditional coding when developing software for organisations. With 87% of companies planning to speed up the pace of their software development in the next two years, low-code is fuelling the shift to a user-centric government. In fact, the survey found that 48% of public sector leaders across the globe have seen low-code increase access to their government services.

The adoption of low-code through the pandemic

During the pandemic, government organisations primarily used low-code solutions to rapidly create innovative solutions that addressed lock-down restrictions and COVID-19 initiatives. For example, since COVID-19 vaccines need to stay cold to retain efficacy, the Uruguayan government partnered with AntTail, a services provider, specialised in cold-chain logistics for medical and perishable supplies to develop and deliver a data-tracking solution that would keep Uruguay’s COVID-19 vaccination program safe. Using the Mendix low-code platform, the team at AntTail was able to build and develop the application in just three months.

Initially driven by the need for rapid innovations during the pandemic, about a quarter of global governmental organisations have now adopted low-code, and about half are starting or midway through adoption. With this shift, low-code has evolved from a good-to-have technology to an essential technology. Public agencies are now expected to make decisions at speed and deliver value in real time. In our complex, volatile era, the public sector must leverage technology to collaborate across multiple jurisdictions and successfully engage with constituents.

Public sector entities are prioritising process efficiency and cybersecurity

Research shows that government employees have the highest usage of shadow IT — when teams pursue tech solutions on their own, independently of IT. This is likely an effort to deal with the persistent shortage of software developers, turning to these workarounds when red tape and other barriers halt procurement of the technology needed to get the job done. Such ad hoc solutions expose the organisation to increased risk of cyber attacks. This is why government leaders are turning to low-code platforms with 30% of Mendix’s survey respondents saying that they expect low-code to reduce security issues.

In addition to reducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities, half of public sector respondents say the top low-code benefits are improved, centralised and standardised citizen ID authentication; improved access to services; and improved planning and management of budget and physical resources. The improved planning and management is particularly beneficial to public sector agencies facing a skills shortage, as fewer workers are needed to complete tedious manual tasks such as entering data into spreadsheets. This enables staff to add more value to higher-value tasks and decisions.

The future of low-code within the public sector

As war, climate impacts, rising immigration and new data restrictions accelerate the need for new regulations, one in 10 public sector leaders say their supporting software cannot keep up. The public sector therefore must act to ensure faster data processing and application development to meet the needs of citizens.

Governments have the responsibility of responding to citizens in a timely manner, connecting their data with vital information and services. Creating a user-centric government means that the public sector is holding itself to a higher standard to ensure all citizens can access, understand and use their information provided. It also means that stakeholders within the sector can accomplish their tasks, give input, add value and take on feedback efficiently.

A user-centric government is one that connects users to their data and evolving regulatory requirements. The adoption of low-code technology helps achieve this more efficiently, while also reducing the risk of security vulnerabilities and helping tackle the nationwide skills shortage. The future of low-code sees more positive digital experiences for both government bodies and citizens.

Image credit: iStock.com/ivanastar