Addressing the tech skills shortage in Australia

Moving into the new year, the tech industry continues to find itself to be at what is seemingly an impasse between an ongoing skills shortage and the demand for higher tech salaries. According to a recent report, the Australian economy is forecasted to need 6.5 million newly skilled and reskilled digital workers by 2025, which is, effectively, 79% more than the current numbers. The growing competition for talent is not yet met with enough support to keep local talent engaged, incentivised and onshore, and competing on salaries is proving to be unsustainable particularly for startups and small businesses.

The modern world is digital and tech has inevitably become the backbone of our society, with 87% of today’s jobs already requiring digital skills. Against this backdrop, the skills shortage is not merely an issue for the tech sector but one for the economy at large. This means there is no choice but to invest in our own talent and innovation. In the last two years alone, as somewhat of a pandemic side effect, we’ve seen the heightened demand for cybersecurity services as the digital landscape expanded. VMWare found nearly all enterprises (91%) have faced increased cyber attacks amidst the current pandemic; consequently, a survey by Gartner saw a surge in demand for info security roles from 01 February to 10 April 2020.

Now is the time to change the way we approach digital skills development in Australia and here are some commitments needed to keep up with the pace at which the industry is moving.

Make local talent and tech a priority

If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that it is not sustainable to be relying on international talent to fuel the development of our economy. With restrictions placed on migration, the tech skills shortage was further exacerbated as international talent couldn’t come in and out of Australia to fill the gaps. We can no longer depend on overseas talent as a long-term strategy, and instead, should be looking at ways to grow tech talent domestically to solve our shortage woes.

Recent initiatives, including the Tech Council of Australia partnering with the government to improve the visibility of tech roles and re-skill our workforce, are a step in the right direction. So too is Labor’s proposed ‘Future Made in Australia’ plan focusing on better education pathways.

Creating a base volume of skills in cybersecurity is critically important for the future of Australia, and our ability to trade with ourselves and the rest of the world.

Beyond government and tech giants, the wider tech industry needs to think deeply about their role in supporting locally made technologies — from vendors to partners and suppliers. It also needs to consider the ways in which they are helping to grow local talent. Whether that be through robust graduate programs or thinking differently about who they hire. Talent accelerator programs, like our ‘Hackcelerator’ graduate program, should aim to assist in enabling the next-generation of skilled individuals to attend and lead security conferences, get access to reputable training and to engage with ‘real world’ practical examples whilst simultaneously learning from industry experts.

The key is to encourage organisations to embrace a local-first mindset when it comes to supporting innovation and recruiting talent.

Double down on making skills available to everyone

Our digital future rests on having a future cohort of workers equipped with the tools, knowledge and skills to keep innovation going. It is critical that there are programs and clear pathways available to empower all individuals to be a part of a digital future. This involves ensuring skills development is accessible not only to those already in the workforce but to future graduates too. In Israel, 18-year-olds graduate high school with the equivalent cybersecurity skills of a university graduate in Australia. Having cybersecurity taught as a core skill in high school would reflect its importance in the future of our country.

To achieve a diverse cohort and to minimise gatekeeping of digital skills, companies need to think creatively about how they approach skills development. That is, building programs that provide people with exposure to the ‘real world’ and allow them to engage with unique situations and job-specific training designed to help with the seamless transition into the dynamic industry. Programs also need to improve the visibility of the opportunities, to ensure people are empowered to embrace the digital future.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Olivier Le Moal