At the end of 2024, PwC published “Guernsey: Embracing the Digital Economy,” highlighting a major opportunity: with the right coordination and investment, Guernsey’s digital economy could double, unlocking over £150 million in additional value and driving sustainable growth.
Having co-founded and directed a digital agency in Guernsey for 16+ years, including 8 years with a UK branch, I’ve seen both the challenges and the potential in this evolving sector, which includes agencies like ours, IT providers, fintech firms, telecoms, software companies, and data consultancies.
Digital Growth
A recent government briefing revealed that 11% of Guernsey’s workforce are in digital roles, with PwC reporting digital jobs make up almost 6.3% of vacancies — evidence of strong demand for talent. The sector contributes £120 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) annually, with potential to rise to £168 million when indirect impacts are included.
To illustrate the longer-term opportunity, PwC modelled a scenario in which Guernsey’s digital productivity per employee matches that of countries like Luxembourg. In that case, the sector’s GVA could rise from approximately £120 million to £270 million — an increase of over £150 million, around 2% of Guernsey’s GDP.
PwC also suggests that improved productivity from digital investment could help achieve this growth. However, skills shortages and a lack of clear strategy remain barriers, with nearly half of the firms surveyed feeling the business environment limits digital development.
Our Role
At Indulge, we help clients unlock value through digital services — increasing leads, reducing admin, and improving user experience (UX). Our solutions are inclusive, scalable, and designed for measurable impact. Behind that delivery is a focus on attracting and retaining the talented people who make it happen.
Over the past year, demand for AI-powered services has surged. We’ve adopted AI in our own workflows to triage support tickets, streamline admin, and accelerate delivery — and we’re seeing strong client interest in applying it too. Looking ahead, I see six key areas where digital agencies can create real value and drive growth:
- AI optimisation (AIO) for AI search engines: Helping clients improve visibility on platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and AI-powered search through structured, intelligent content.
- Accessibility innovation driven by AI: Using AI to support inclusive design and scale accessibility improvements across digital services — reaching more users, more effectively.
- AI automation to streamline admin tasks: Automating repetitive internal tasks like lead qualification, ticket triaging, and invoicing, freeing up teams to focus on higher-value work.
- UX audits with a focus on agentic AI experience (AIX): Reviewing and improving the effectiveness of AI agents through specialist UX audits — ensuring alignment with needs and behaviours.
- User testing to validate AI production outputs: In a world where AI increasingly handles production, testing with real people is critical to validate quality, accuracy, and impact.
- AI training to help other businesses adopt and apply best practices: Offering workshops and training to support local businesses in using AI tools effectively, responsibly, and efficiently.
What’s Needed
The recently launched Innovate Guernsey Board is a really positive sign that momentum is building. The PwC report also outlines four pillars (market, industry, people, and culture) that form a solid framework for progress.
- Market: Strengthen Guernsey’s digital foundations through infrastructure and strategic partnerships, enabling growth and resilience across sectors.
- Industry: Ensure the digital economy is both globally competitive and locally focused. Support growth by expanding innovation hubs like the Digital Greenhouse and fostering stronger partnerships with business.
- People: Embed digital skills and literacy across the education system and workplace training. Upskill the workforce through continuous learning tailored to the changing needs of the digital sector.
- Culture: Encourage openness, experimentation and global connectivity. Promote best practice adoption (including around accessibility, ethics and AI) to build a future-ready digital culture.
Looking ahead
Guernsey may be small, but it has global reach. We recently redesigned internet banking apps for two respected global private banks, and we’re currently working with a major US disability organisation on an AI-powered app, funded by a leading US tech firm. It’s proof that location doesn’t limit potential — expertise and passion open doors.
While our core focus remains the finance sector, we’re also exploring how Guernsey could lead in wider areas of innovation, including early conversations about a digital inclusion hub to support accessibility here and abroad.
Our agency supports Guernsey in the opportunity to boost the digital economy — one that isn’t just on the horizon, but is already here and accelerating.
