Security News > 2024 > April > Australian IT Skills Shortage: 2024 Is The Year To Self-Upskill

A recent series of reports and data point to one consistent theme: The skills crisis in the Australian IT industry is deepening and the nation-wide solutions seem unrealistic, but for IT professionals who are motivated to develop their skillsets, the opportunity is massive.

In acknowledging that there is a need for migrant skills to fill the gaps, late last year, the government announced a new skilled visa that covers skills in deepest demand, including IT. As defence think tank ASPI noted in a report of its own, there are only around 7,000 Australian students graduating with an IT degree each year, while demand for IT professionals is expected to grow by 233,000 by 2033.

"Weaker English skills and lack of skills recognition are preventing us from making the most of migrants' skills and experience, with discrimination likely also having an impact," CEDA Senior Economist Andrew Barker said in the report.

Though the skills shortage is challenging organizations to fill roles and be able to fully leverage the IT opportunity, research from RMIT suggests that spending on training is cooling.

The same report found that digital technologies, including AI, data science, coding and cyber security, were employers' chief concerns with the skills shortage.

What this means is that IT professionals will need to invest in their own skills development if their employers wont, and build capabilities in both "Hard" and "Soft" skills around technology.

News URL

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/australia-it-skills-shortage/