Published on the 21/03/2016 | Written by Beverley Head
The Australian Computer Society has published the 2016 Digital Pulse report which provides a snapshot of the nation’s ICT sector and people…
The report, which has been developed in association with Deloitte Access Economics, indicates that the contribution of digital technologies to the economy will rise from $79 billion in 2014, to $139 billion by 2020.
Over that period the digital economy will rise from representing five, to seven percent of Australia’s GDP.
According to the report; “this reflects the digital pivot across the Australian economy with new technologies disrupting businesses, consumers and workers in sectors that may not have traditionally been thought of as heavy users of technology.”
As a consequence demand for ICT skilled workers will also rise – from 628,000 in 2015 (53 percent of them in industries outside of the ICT sector) to 695,000 by 2020. Recognising that only a small proportion of the nation’s student population studies ICT skills, the ACS report notes that companies may have to look to re-skill existing workforces in order to meet demand.
They might also need to lift their game as far as gender and age diversity is concerned in order to find the workers needed. Just 11 percent of ICT workers are aged 55 or above; and women make up just 28 percent of the ICT workforce.
Plugging the skills gap is a significant influx of overseas ICT professionals.
The report notes a net migration inflow of around 19,600 ICT workers in the last financial year; 13,900 temporary 457 visas were issued to ICT workers which it claimed represented 15 percent of that class of visas, but just two percent of the ICT workforce.
While the continued growth of the digital economy should be no surprise, there are some unexpected findings.
For example, despite the rampant vendor hype, the report found that just one in five Australian businesses currently use any form of cloud services, despite 85 percent of those which do reporting benefits. Also, only around three in ten businesses has any form of social media presence.
Clearly there is still a long journey of digital transformation ahead for many businesses.
In terms of ICT supply, the report notes Australia remains a net importer of ICT services. While trade flows in ICT services of almost $5 billion were recorded in the last financial year, that comprised $2.6 billion of imports and $2.3 billion of exports.
