Tech Council of Australia releases new report
The Tech Council of Australia, a lobby group representing the tech sector, has released a new report titled “Getting to 1.3 million: Our roadmap to create a thriving Australian tech workforce”. The report updates the previous target of 1.2 million tech workers by 2030, which was announced by the federal government and the opposition leader in 2022. The report argues that the demand for tech skills has increased significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the digital transformation of the economy. The report also outlines five calls for action to achieve the revised target, which include increasing awareness of tech careers, improving education and training, enhancing diversity and inclusion, attracting skilled migrants, and strengthening data and analysis.
Tech jobs are growing faster than other sectors
According to the report, the tech sector is one of the fastest growing and most resilient sectors in Australia, employing 935,000 people as of February 2023. This represents a growth of 66 per cent since 2005, almost double the average growth rate for all jobs in the Australian economy. The report also claims that tech jobs are well-paid, interesting, and plentiful, with opportunities for promotion and remote work. The report forecasts that Australia will need to create over 650,000 new tech jobs by the end of the decade, representing an additional 186,000 tech workers above business-as-usual projections to meet the 1.3 million target.
Tech skills are needed across the economy
The report defines the tech sector broadly, covering jobs in companies in the direct tech sector (such as software companies), jobs in online commerce in retail and wholesale trade, and tech-related jobs in sectors across the economy, such as banking, mining, the public sector, and professional services. The report states that tech skills are essential for Australia to compete and lead on the world stage, and to support the country’s broader digital transformation. The report also highlights the benefits of tech jobs for improving living standards, building the economic future, and ensuring jobs for generations to come.
Government and industry collaboration is key
The report calls for a close collaboration between the government and the tech industry to achieve the 1.3 million target. The report acknowledges the government’s efforts to create an environment for success, such as building the national training system, backing student and graduate entrepreneurs, buying and making things in Australia, and improving migration settings. The report also welcomes the government’s initiative to create an interim Jobs and Skills Australia, a body dedicated to understanding and addressing the nation’s skills crisis. The report urges the government to act on the five calls for action, and to organise a roundtable with key stakeholders in the tech sector to work towards shared goals.
Australia’s Digital Employment Forum facilitates the report
The report is the product of a collaboration between tech industry groups brought together at Australia’s Digital Employment Forum, which was held in Canberra on 2 August 2023. The forum aims to transform the way Australia attracts and trains tech workers, and is facilitated by the Tech Council of Australia in conjunction with the Australian Government funded Digital Skills Organisation pilot. The forum brings together major tech employers and educators, such as Google, Microsoft, Atlassian, Telstra, Amazon, IBM, TAFE, and universities.
