Published on the 25/05/2017 | Written by Newsdesk
Good news IT worker, you are in demand everywhere…
ICT professional association the ACS has released its 2017 ‘Australia’s Digital Pulse” Report, which shows that a ‘digital boom’ is underway with 40,000 technology jobs created over just the last two years (2015-16). But the association frets about the future, pondering if ‘we’ are doing enough about it.
Prepared by Deloitte Access Economics, the report shows this strong growth in the ICT workforce is expected to continue, with an additional 81,000 people needed by 2022 to fuel future technology-led growth.
Meeting this need will be a critical priority for Australia, said the ACS in a statement. The organisation’s president Anthony Wong noted: “Technology skills are fast becoming the engine room of the Australian economy. To fast-track our nation’s digital transformation, and ensure the ICT skills base is there to meet demand, we need a clear strategy and dedicated investment focus in this area.”
LinkedIn APAC public policy director Nick O’Donnell, said Australia’s skills shift is accelerating and expanding across every industry. “We are seeing significant hiring of tech talent by non-tech companies. Half of the top 20 industries hiring ICT workers in 2016 were non-tech, the most active industries being financial services, which jumped from twelfth position in 2015 to up to fourth in 2016.”
O’Donnell said LinkedIn’s data also shows that the top skills demanded by employers hiring new ICT workers includes a balance of technical skills and broader business skills. “Business skills such as Relationship Management, Business Strategy and Strategic Planning in combination with technical skills are highly sought after to drive digitisation of business processes.”
Addressing Australia’s skilled ICT shortfall, Wong, said: “The ACS is actively championing the uptake of coding in schools, better support for teachers in the delivery of emerging technology areas, the establishment of multidisciplinary degrees, and relevant training programs to help to build a pipeline of workers with valuable ICT skills.”
With the recent 457 visa furore as a backdrop, Wong pointed to the potential necessity for migration to help fill the gap. “In a skills shortage environment, skilled migration is an important lever for developing competitive advantage for the nation. However, it needs to be targeted, and needs to address the genuine skills gaps in the domestic market, while ensuring migrant workers are not exploited.”
Deloitte Access Economics partner John O’Mahony said Australian employers place value on ICT skills ‘against the backdrop of digital technologies being fundamental to a thriving economy’. “As business disruption becomes more widespread, businesses need a strong ICT core to manage change – making ICT workers and ICT skills the bread and butter behind that change.”
The report further highlights a ‘to-do’ list for government that includes multiplying digital precincts, prioritising cyber, transitioning education and getting more people to study ICT, supporting Aussie start-ups, the next steps for the NBN and wireless technology, and focusing on efforts towards open data, digitising government, and copyright reform.
The full report can be downloaded.
