Queensland tech sector driving jobs and growth

 

ACS report finds state’s IT sector is driving employment

 

 

21 July 2022

 

Queensland’s technology sector continues to grow strongly, with nearly 115,000 of the state’s workers employed in IT jobs according to the 2022 Digital Pulse report.

 

Prepared by Deloitte Access Economics for ACS, Digital Pulse tracks the key trends in Australia’s technology workforce and the sector’s potential over the next five years. Key Queensland findings in this year’s report include:

 

•       114,738 Queenslanders now work in the IT sector

 

•       The workforce has grown by 3,164, or 2.8%, from the year before

 

•       Over the next five years, expected to grow to 152,790

 

•       Annual growth of the state’s tech workforce estimated to be 4.9%

 

•       Tech is not just part of city based industries, over 2,500 Queenslanders are employed in mining and agriculture IT roles

 

ACS Queensland Chair, Beau Tydd said of the Queensland results: “This year’s Digital Pulse shows tech is not just part of city based industries, over 2,500 Queenslanders are employed in mining and agriculture IT roles. Tech jobs are not just a big city thing.

 

“We are just winding up a terrific regional roadshow that’s shown how important the tech sector is to regional businesses and communities.

 

“At ACS we’re working on building our regional footprint and are planning on launching a new Far North Queensland ACS Chapter and a Sunshine Coast Chapter in coming months.”

 

Nationally, the report found Australia’s tech workforce grew by 8% over the previous year, with over 870,000 Australians now working in IT roles. By comparison, the workforce as a whole only grew 3.4%.

 

In the next five years the tech sector will employ over 1.2 million Australians, with the workforce having an average annual growth rate of 5.5%, the report found.  

 

Digital Pulse also flagged the need for Australian businesses and government to do more to train workers and encourage greater diversity in the technology workforce. Women represent only 31% of the technology workers, compared to 48% across the Australian workforce.

 

In the report, ACS recommends seven measures to address the nation’s technology skills needs:

 

1.            develop and promote workplace policies to encourage diverse technology talent

 

2.            provide schoolteachers with more resources to improve student digital literacy and increase awareness of technology career pathways

 

3.            greater coordination between agencies to develop skills in the technology workforce

 

4.            further encourage businesses to deepen digital skills in other occupations

 

5.            work to retain existing technology talent in Australia

 

6.            encourage employers to consider more diverse pathways into the technology sector

 

7.            boost government and industry investment in the technology sector.

 

John O’Mahony, Partner at Deloitte Access Economics and co-author of the Digital Pulse series added: “Australia’s tech workforce growth has been astonishing – we will soon have one million tech workers in this country.

 

“Individuals can earn, on average, an extra $11,000 every year in salary in tech occupations compared with other professional occupations. If we can boost diversity in the technology workforce it could be worth over $20 billion to our economy over the next two decades.”

 

Digital Pulse also highlighted how businesses can better retain current workers and attract new staff by supporting diverse workforces and flexible working conditions.

 

The full 2022 Digital Pulse report can be downloaded from the ACS website at www.acs.org.au.

 

 

 

-ENDS-

 

 

 

Further information

 

Troy Steer

 

Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy

 

M – 0417 173 740

 

E – troy.steer@acs.org.au