Australia losing global war for tech talent

Australia must act urgently to ensure it becomes a primary manufacturer of technology, and lack of access to experienced global talent is the biggest factor constricting the growth of the local tech industry, according to Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes.

In statements to the recent Senate Committee Hearing on the Future of Work and Workers, Cannon-Brookes also warned that widescale technological disruption is going to make “many, many” jobs obsolete.

He said the technology sector is already the biggest industry in the world, and Australia has a decision to make if it wants a seat at the table.

“Do we want to be a primary manufacturer of technology, or a consumer of it? Australia generates 1% of the world’s GDP. To continue our relative wealth and quality of living, we need to be primary producers of 1% of the world’s technology. We aren’t even close today,” he said.

“Our technology businesses are in a global war for talent and we’re losing the battle. Technology creation is borderless, jobs can be anywhere.”

The government’s recent changes to the 457 visa have damaged Australia’s reputation among the global technology community, he said.

“We said to the global tech industry — ‘we’re closed for business’. The government’s policy changes to 457 visa — and the uncertainty that came with the announcement — hurt us directly.”

Cannon-Brookes also claimed that the industry is facing a shortage of local senior managers with more than 10 years’ experience and must rely on overseas talent to fill that gap. He asserted that for every senior employee imported, a company like Atlassian hires many more employees around them.

“To unlock the huge job-creating potential of tech companies in Australia, we need to change the way we think about skilled migration. The government should be helping local companies attract world-class employees. Not close the door in their face,” he said.

While Australian technology graduates are highly desired worldwide, the lack of a local industry means the best talent moves overseas for better opportunities, he added. Australia also needs more graduates with skills in almost every discipline, which will require investment in STEM at all levels.

Cannon-Brookes also warned that technology advances are disrupting the economy and that many current jobs will be lost. Automation, for example, is expected to eliminate 800 million jobs worldwide by 2030, with one study estimating that 40% of Australian jobs could be eliminated by 2025.

While technology will also create many new jobs, Australia urgently needs a strategy to reskill impacted workers and allow them to switch careers.

“We need to shift our views on education as something we do when we’re young to something we do throughout our entire life. How do we enable lifelong learning so people continually learn new skills and embrace new opportunities?”

Income support and other forms of transition assistance will also be essential to help displaced workers find alternative employment, and Australia must ensure enough post-disruption job creation is conducted locally.

“Back to my first point — the technology disrupting the jobs can be created anywhere in the world. If we’re not creating some of the technology here, the created jobs won’t be in Australia,” he said.

“We know change is hard. It’s messy. It’s scary. We need to learn from the past and focus on the upside of value creation and improved standards of living that technology will create, instead of perpetuating fear rhetoric around ‘robots taking our jobs’. With your help, we can build a world-class technology industry in Australia. And the technology skills needed by every industry. And manage the upcoming disruptions. But we need to act, not stand by and watch.”

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/HultonArchive

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