Australian Tech Sector Makes Diversity Gains, But Skills Gap Remains
Synopsis
New research shows women are approaching workforce parity overall but continue to be underrepresented in specialist technical positions.
Australia is progressing towards gender parity in its technology jobs, but there remains a significant lack of skilled workers in specialist technical occupations.
New research from the Tech Council of Australia's report Women in Highly Technical Occupations: The Leaky Pipeline reveals that although the proportion of women in technology roles is increasing, they are still significantly under-represented in highly technical positions where there is the highest demand.
The report comes as Australia works towards the national goal of 1.2 million technology workers by 2030.
The Tech Council of Australia estimates there will be at least 600,000 more technology workers needed over the next 10 years to satisfy demand in the country, with software engineering, cyber security, artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data related jobs likely to be among the most challenging to fill.
Representation Drops in Specialist Roles
Despite improvements in technology industries' workforce participation overall, women make up approximately 20% of the highly technical workforce in Australia, the report said. The number of women in representation drops even more in the most technical occupations, comprising only 16% of the more experienced professionals over 40.
There are also problems with retention. Women are twice as likely to abandon highly technical fields of work as men in middle age, the report states. It recognizes workplace culture, access to senior role models, barriers to career advancement and working and caregiving as reasons for increased turnover.
Demand Continues to Outpace Supply
The lack of technology skills is not just a problem faced by technology companies, as financial services, healthcare, mining, manufacturing, retail and government agencies all look to recruit employees that have digital skills.
In recent years, the number of people working in Australia's technology industry sector has increased steadily, and there is still a shortage. The 1.2 million tech workers by 2030 goal has previously been identified as a need for expansion of education pathways, growth of the tech workforce, career transitions and attracting skilled migrants.
Retention Remains a Key Workforce Issue
Increasing recruitment alone is not going to solve the diversity skills shortage in the Australian tech industry, the report says. Retention of qualified educated women in specialised technical jobs will also be key to ensuring the country's technology workforce is strengthened for the future and its needs.
Source: Information Age
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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