A new report says Australia is missing out on a potential $25 billion boost to the economy, all because not enough of us have the right tech skills.
The Australian Computer Society found that 150,000 businesses are already feeling the pinch, losing money and facing higher risks of cyberattacks. It turns out about half of Aussie workers don’t have the digital skills they need for their jobs, especially in areas like AI and cybersecurity.
To tackle the problem, the society has released a 10-point plan.
To build the pipeline of digital skills development and support a more innovative economy, ACS has identified ten recommended actions are:
Action 1 – Develop a national Sovereign AI Strategy: Create a clear, long-term vision for sovereign AI, supporting regulation, infrastructure, talent, and innovation.
Action 2 – Develop an innovation strategy: Use the upcoming R&D review to boost entrepreneurship, startups, and scaleups, addressing Australia’s lag in R&D and local innovation.
Action 3 – Government co-investment in scaleups: Bridge the “valley of death” in funding, especially for women and First Nations founders, through government-backed co-investment vehicles.
Action 4 – Greater incentives for R&D in AI and tech adoption by businesses: Encourage greater R&D in AI and promote wider tech adoption across businesses to address Australia’s AI and digital skills gap.
Action 5 – Executives take a digital skills health check: Require C-suite leaders to assess their digital skills using tools like ACS’s mySFIA to identify gaps, strengthen governance, and align with business strategy.
Action 6 – Promote entry-level pathways for cybersecurity professionals: Create more entry-level cyber roles to help fill the 54,000 additional cyber professionals Australia will need by 2030.
Action 7 – Fast track a national framework for tech skills: Prioritise and promote the national skills taxonomy, aligned with SFIA, to enable real-time visibility of workforce capabilities.
Action 8 – A national commitment to alternative tech pathways: Recognise industry certifications and VET qualifications alongside degrees. Adopt national hiring pledges like NSW’s 20% target for non-degree entry-level tech roles.
Action 9 – Implement an ‘earn while you learn’ scheme: Support mid-career workers with wage subsidies for reskilling in tech, shared by business and government.
Action 10 – Develop a sovereign system layer for government: Fund sovereign AI capabilities to ensure safe, locally relevant use of global models in public services.
Further reading – ACS Digital Pulse 2025
