Australia short on digital skills

The ACS (Australian Computer Society) is warning of a skills gap in the nation’s AI-driven economy and that Australia needs a comprehensive plan if it is to make the most of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

The 2023 Digital Pulse report by the ACS — which represents tech sector workers — and Deloitte found there has been 7% growth in the number of people employed in technology jobs — about 928,000 Australians — and projects this to climb to over a million by the end of the decade.

Chris Vein, ACS CEO, said this is not enough. “By 2030, we will need 1.3 million additional skills to effectively utilise the technologies reshaping the Australian workforce,” he said. “The report calls for a coalition across industry, education and government to start shaping how our society will respond to the skills challenge this exciting era presents.”

Meanwhile, AI is tipped to disrupt up to 90% of Australian jobs, according to the research, and that by 2030, half of Australian businesses will be using AI, data analytics and robotics.

The ACS report also found that only 3% of new tech graduates are considered ‘job ready’ when starting out, and that the digital skills shortfall is currently costing Australian businesses $3.1 billion each year and could blow out to as much as $16 billion by 2030.

Read the full report here.

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