Time to upskill Australia’s workforce
Tapping into local skills essential to addressing IT labour shortage, says ACS
6 October 2022
The National Skills Commission’s latest skills priority list shows the importance of boosting Australia’s IT skills training, says ACS Chief Executive Officer, Chris Vein.
“It’s not surprising to see two of the top ten occupations suffering shortages being IT related roles,” said Mr Vein. “ACS has been calling out the rapid growth of the nation’s technology sector in our annual Digital Pulse report for the past eight years and we’re forecasting over 1.3 million Australians to be working in tech jobs by 2030.”
The NSC report found Software and Applications Programmers to be the second most in-demand occupation on the national list with ICT Business and System Analysts being ninth of the top ten job roles suffering shortages.
Addressing these shortages will take more than boosting short term migration, said Mr Vein: “Every country is facing these job shortage issues and Australia is in a competition with every developed country to attract skilled workers. Simply making more visa slots available is part of the solution but so much more is needed.
“One of the quickest ways of addressing our skills shortage is harnessing our national assets, particularly Australia’s educated, flexible and diverse workforce, through upskilling workers and boosting the industry’s diversity.
“Ahead of the last Federal election ACS called for increased funding for reskilling, diversity programs, and support for workers and employers looking to boost their digital skills.
“We’re delighted the Albanese government has adopted some of these measures such as offering more free TAFE places and reviewing the diversity of industry support programs. We’re looking forward to further positive moves in the upcoming Federal budget.”
Mr Vein also pointed out the IT skills shortage is a national issue affecting all industries and regions and not just the capital cities’ tech sectors, saying: “These jobs on this list are not just in technology companies, but across all business and communities. IT is essential for industries such as agriculture, resources and tourism and it’s critical all parts of Australia have enough technology workers to keep their local economies running.”
ACS’ 2022 Digital Pulse report detailing the state of Australia’s IT workforce can be downloaded at acs.org.au.
-ENDS-
Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy
About Us
ACS is the professional association for Australia’s technology sector and the largest community with 47,000+ members from across business, government and education.
ACS champions the technologies, people and skills critical to Australia’s future, creating value for ACS members, the tech sector and society in four ways:
Community
Our focus is on fostering an innovative and inclusive community that is dedicated to powering positive change through technology.
Capability
We set the standard for assessing, developing and recognising the skills and experience of technology professionals.
Career
We create career pathways to guide technology professionals and ensure Australia has a pipeline of talent with the right skills and knowledge.
Migration
We assess and support skilled technology migrants to address critical skills shortages, improve diversity and enrich Australia’s workforce.
Find out more at: acs.org.au