Australia’s tech sector grew by 8% over the previous yr and regardless of a wave of excessive profile redundancies, added greater than 10,000 jobs within the first quarter of 2023.
The nation’s tech workforce elevated by 70,000 jobs to 935,000 by February 2023, in response to new analysis from the Tech Council of Australia (TCA).
That development places the {industry} on the right track to achieve the council’s government-backed ambition of 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030.
The Tech Jobs Replace report concludes that 10,500 jobs have been added within the final 3 months to March 2023. Most of these roles got here through what’s know because the oblique tech sector – tech-intensive jobs inside non-tech industries, akin to retail, banking, skilled companies, authorities and mining, which TCA CEO Kate Pounder see as proof that tech jobs are integral to each facet of the Australian financial system.
“The world’s main economies are targeted on digitally upskilling their workforce, and the TCA needs to make sure that Australia is on the forefront of this transition,” Pounder mentioned.
“The expansion of tech jobs in non-traditional tech industries displays a long-term structural change within the Australian financial system and exhibits that digital expertise have gotten deeply embedded into all aspects of the financial system.”
Regardless of redundancies in distinguished firms, together with Atlassian, which shed 500 jobs, Mr Yum, Tradition Amp, Airtasker, Immutable, Until Funds and Sendle in addition to international tech agency, alongside a number of startup collapses, direct jobs within the tech sector haven’t solely held their floor, the TCA’s evaluation concluded that for each job misplaced over the previous quarter, 20 extra have been created.
Pounder mentioned that grown exhibits that skill-transferability and adaptability are a serious good thing about working in tech.
“The abilities tech-workers have might be simply employed at any firm, anyplace within the nation,” she mentioned.
“Tech is now a serious employer in all states and territories, with the tech workforce being Australia’s seventh largest using {industry}. Throughout each state and territory, tech jobs are rising sooner than the typical job in these economies.”
The opposite excellent news is that the typical wages for tech jobs stays excessive at round $132,000. Subsequent to being a CEO, a job within the direct-tech sector is the second highest of any marketed on SEEK previously yr, with Pounder including that their flexibility makes them accessible for people who have confronted discrimination in different sectors, together with girls and other people with disabilities.
And whereas the goal is one other 265,000 jobs within the subsequent 6.5 years, Pounder mentioned extra individuals are wanted to fulfill Australia’s predicted digital demand over the subsequent decade.
“To attain this goal, the tech sector is dedicated to working with the Authorities throughout 5 key areas, together with rising consciousness of the tech jobs alternative, fixing gaps in schooling and coaching pathways, enhancing range within the tech workforce, goal expert migration to areas of high-need and biggest shortages and enhance industry-level workforce provide and demand forecasts,” she mentioned.
Federal expertise and coaching minister Brendan O’Connor mentioned the tech sector shouldn’t be exempt from the nation’s present expertise scarcity.
“Database and Programs Directors, ICT Safety Specialists and Programs Analysts stay within the high 20 occupations in demand,” he mentioned.
“That’s the reason our authorities needs to assist a VET sector that not solely will get folks into jobs, however on the trail to a well-paying profession.”
The TCA is the height {industry} physique for Australia’s tech sector, with greater than 160 members.