AI could create up to 200,000 jobs in Australia by 2030, Tech Council claims

The news: Artificial intelligence could create up to 200,000 AI-related jobs in Australia by 2030 but this will need reform support, according to a report by the Tech Council of Australia (TCA), supported by Microsoft, LinkedIn and Workday.

The numbers: The report found that reaching 200,000 AI workers by 2030 would require 500% growth from current AI workforce levels in the next seven years.

Australia’s AI workforce has grown from about 800 workers in 2014 to more than 33,000 in 2023, the report said. It also noted that greater adoption of AI could contribute $115 billion to the economy, with 70% coming from productivity gains.

The context: The TCA report ‘Meeting the AI Skills boom’, found that there was a risk of skills shortages without “significant reforms” despite demand for workers in the field.

To meet the demand, the TCA said Australia would need to increase entry-level training, upskilling of existing workers and mid-career retraining. Diversifying training pathways, including greater uptake in vocational education and training (VET) or short-course training, could also increase the supply of workers in cybersecurity, product and design roles, it said.

The report suggests boosting AI literacy across the workforce, could drive growth in jobs to support the scaling of AI systems and products, in fields such as finance, human resources, sales and operations, and governance roles across legal, policy, and risk and compliance.

What they said: TCA’s CEO Damian Kassabgi said: “This growth won’t be isolated to the tech sector or tech jobs”.

“In addition to roles that are responsible for developing, designing and maintaining AI systems, we will need people with skills in areas such as human resources, sales and governance to successfully scale these systems and businesses to harness the potential in front of us,” he said.

Managing director of LinkedIn Australia and New Zealand, Matt Tindale, said: “The existing tech workforce is already straining to meet demand, but growing the number of AI development jobs could be achieved by offering alternative entry-level pathways, opportunities for mid-career retraining and upskilling in AI, and drawing on skilled migration, particularly for highly technical roles requiring experience”.

The source:
Tech Council media release