Empowering digital inclusion: internet skills, usage, and self-efficacy as determinants of economic satisfaction among unemployed people

Abstract

This study investigates how internet skills, usage, and internet self-efficacy influence the economic satisfaction of unemployed individuals in Saudi Arabia. Grounded in Digital Inclusion Theory and Self-Efficacy Theory, the research explores how specific digital skills and confidence in using the internet can contribute to improved economic outcomes. Primary data were collected through a survey of 314 graduates looking for job opportunities and analyzed by using partial least squares (PLS), with results revealing critical insights. Among the tested hypotheses, operational internet skills, social internet skills, and AI-related skills were found to positively impact economic internet use, while information-navigation and creative internet skills did not. Internet usage for economic activities proved to be a major factor that influences both economic satisfaction and internet self-efficacy. Internet self-efficacy emerged as a key mediator between economic internet usage and economic contentment according to the research findings. The study demonstrates that people need to learn particular digital competencies and enhance their self-efficacy to enable jobless individuals to use the internet for economic gain. The study demonstrates that digital inclusion programs can increase economic satisfaction and reduce unemployment while supporting sustainable development in Saudi Arabia.