ICT workforce skills mix must change: report

The transition to the digital economy is leading to a major skills shift, with many non-IT workers still requiring IT skills and IT workers increasingly requiring soft as well as technical skills.

This is one of the findings of Deloitte Access Economics’ 2016 Australia’s Digital Pulse report, which cites data from LinkedIn showing that the Australian ICT workforce is expected to grow from 628,000 in 2015 to 695,000 in 2020, a 2% annual growth rate.

But 2.5 million Australians in non-ICT roles increasingly require digital literacy as part of their jobs, suggesting that the education sector should place a greater focus on ICT skills.

At the same time, ICT specialists are increasingly expected to have soft as well as technical skills. The report suggests that non-technical skills such as project management, sales and customer service skills account for six of the top 10 skills sought after by employers in ICT workers.

“LinkedIn’s data highlights that a significant and rapid skills transformation is happening in our economy. Responding to this challenge will require governments, employers and the education and training sector to work collaboratively and, importantly, to reassess current approaches to both training and recruitment,” ACS President Anthony Wong said.

“A clear message from the report is that our economy now needs ICT specialists with creativity, entrepreneurship and strategic business skills whilst non-ICT workers increasingly require a base level of digital competency.”

The report also shows that 17 of the 25 most sought after skills in Australia are technology related, and that the contribution of digital technologies to the Australian economy is on track to grow by 75% by 2020.

In addition, only 28% of the Australian ICT workforce are women, compared to 43% across all professions, and only 11% are mature-aged workers, compared to 15% across the total workforce.

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