TCA releases tech job creation roadmap

The Tech Council of Australia (TCA) has called on all sides of government to help reach a goal of having 1 million people employed in technology-related jobs by 2025.

The industry body has released a roadmap, based on research conducted by new member Accenture, for a technology-led economic recovery.

According to the report, four key steps will be needed to meet the technology jobs target, including continued growth in the pipeline of new Australian technology start-ups.

This measure alone could contribute 30,000 new jobs and add an extra $7 billion in value to the economy by 2030.

Other key steps include accelerating job creation and investment by businesses outside of the tech sector, which is predicted to add 258,000 new jobs and $45 billion in value.

The creation of more large homegrown Australian tech companies and ensuring Australia is an attractive market for multinationals could meanwhile add 75,000 new jobs and $16 billion in extra value, while scaling up early-stage companies could add 65,000 new jobs and $14 billion in value.

By 2030, these measures combined could increase Australia’s total technology workforce to 1.2 billion and technology’s GDP contribution to $250 billion, according to TCA CEO Kate Pounder.

“We believe with the right investment, training and regulation, the tech sector will provide jobs, economic growth and a pathway to secure employment for the next generation of Australian workers,” she said.

“The boom in tech-related jobs means there are now more software engineers and developers in Australia than hairdressers, plumbers or high school teachers. That’s 1 in 16 working Australians. We want to significantly increase that figure.”

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