Currently, digital transformation has affected all areas of the country's public life and continues to cover all processes, all organizations and the entire population. It involves changing not only the technological structure, the established forms of doing business, but also the ways in which people interact in general. The new (digital) economy also reveals the need for new digital competencies among staffers, specialists in completely different fields. The most important feature of modern personnel in demand in the digital economy is the effective use of information and communication technologies in everyday and professional activities, as well as digital literacy. The authors link digital skills with the successful implementation of the state innovation policy. They provide a comprehensive study of the category of digital competence, from the standpoint of different scientific approaches. An attempt was made to systematize and substantiate the skills and abilities necessary for personnel in the context of the digital transformation of the economy, including: innovative thinking, the ability to generate new ideas, a creative approach to solving problems and tasks, analytical thinking and digital competencies. The factors influencing the formation of personnel for the new economy are considered, including: state policy in the field of education, science, innovation, the needs of the business community, etc. The main goals and priorities of the state policy in the field of digitalization and training of qualified personnel are reflected, taking into account the needs of the modern economy. The main trends in the training of competent and highly qualified personnel for the digital economy, capable of using information and communication technologies in the workplace at a qualitatively new level, are revealed. A statistical analysis of the level of formation of some digital skills among personnel in the real economy of Russia is presented in comparison with foreign countries. It is substantiated that the current trend in personnel training once again emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and the acquisition of digital skills to accelerate the pace of digitalization of the Russian economy.