Job prospects for ICT graduates strong

Job prospects are strong for ICT graduates, with 100,000 jobs having been created in IT, cybersecurity and robotics over the past five years, according to technology start-up WithYouWithMe.

Research from the company also indicates that computer system design jobs have increased by more than 50% over the same period.

WithYouWithMe works with organisations to help identify potential in their existing workforce and reskill career shifters into data-driven careers.

The company has declared a “state of emergency” for Australia’s labour market, noting there is a skills gap in emerging industries, and a graduate glut caused by a lack of regulation in university enrolments and inadequate communication about employment outcomes post graduation.

Citing data from the Department of Jobs and Small Business, WithYouWithMe said it is predicted that there will be 100,000 job openings in cyber and IT support and administration over the next five years. In total, ICT professions are expected to experience 16% growth in employment numbers.

But WithYouWithMe is still predicting a graduate glut in the overall IT sector. While nearly 124,000 IT students are expected to graduate by 2023, there are only expected to be just over 59,000 job openings by 2022, indicating that more than half of graduates will not find a job in their field.

WithYouWithMe Co-Founder and Head of Growth & Insights Luke Rix said the findings demonstrate a failure in the education sector to react to changes in the labour market.

“It’s evident if you take a look at the lack of skills in our workforce for emerging, high-opportunity industries like cybersecurity and robotics,” he said.

“This isn’t just about funnelling people into different degrees. We need to have a frank, open discussion about how education can adapt to the rate of change in the world of work.”

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