NSW ICT workforce exceeds 300,000

New South Wales’s ICT workforce has grown by 8.5% to over 300,000 workers in 2021 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ACS’s latest Digital Pulse report.

The report, prepared by Deloitte Access Economics, found that NSW’s IT workforce is set to grow by 4.8% per annum over the next five years.

But while NSW remains the leading state for ICT workers by a significant margin, the gap between states could narrow over the next few years, with Victoria (5.8%) and Queensland (5.9%) predicted to see stronger growth, the report states. The national average growth rate will be 5.4%.

Australia-wide, the technology workforce is expected to grow to more than 1.1 million, with the sector on track to grow more than four times faster than the overall labour force.

Even with this significant growth, however, Australia is still facing an ICT skills shortage, with current trends suggesting an impending gap between the need for an extra 60,000 technology workers each year and just 7000 domestic IT degree graduates.

ACS President Ian Oppermann said this gap will need to be filled by boosting reskilling and restarting skilled migration.

“The last two years have illustrated the importance of data, analytics and technology in government and industry which highlights the importance of having a robust ICT workforce,” he said.

The report recommends that Australia address its ICT weaknesses through initiatives including promoting ICT education, deepening cross-industry digital skills, improving participation of women in ICT and re-energising digital transformation programs.

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