There is no question that technology is evolving exponentially. We have powerful smartphones that can deliver information and services in the palm of our hands, automation is changing the way we work, live, travel and more and the world is becoming more connected and globalized by the day.
That means there are plenty of jobs in digital industries and opportunities for people of all ages to transition into these roles. It has become simple to study online and take a software engineering course or any number of other courses that specialise in training for digital professions.
By 2026, the value of the digital transformation market is expected to be USD $2744.68 billion, up from USD $998.99 billion in 2020.
By 2025, digitalisation will create 250,000 new jobs. In 2019, there were more than 770,000 technology workers in Australia, 6.8 per cent more than in 2018. Over this same period, this growth was 1.5 times greater than the growth of other professional occupations.
Across Australia, the broader tech sector contributes $1.2 billion annually to the economy, or 6.6 per cent of GDP. There are many reasons why people are flocking to digital fields, including:
COVID-10 Accelerated Digital Transformation
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we work. For remote working to be productive and efficient, organisations have had to quickly implement digital solutions.
An executive survey conducted by McKinsey worldwide found that companies have digitised their customer and supply-chain interactions as well as their internal operations by three to four years. Additionally, they have increased their share of digitally enabled or digital products by seven years.
These changes may be here for the long haul.
About half of respondents say that these changes weren’t a high priority for their organisations prior to the crisis. The pandemic and ensuing business crisis removed this barrier.
There Is A Digital Skills Shortage
There is a high demand for digital skills, but a low supply. Organizations often struggle to recruit talent for digital roles, since their employees lack the skills needed to manage digital transformation.
Changing ways of working have uncovered a deep skills gap. Consequently, businesses are looking for workers with digital expertise, and candidates are looking for employers who will train them.
Businesses that effectively and promptly train their personnel to be proficient in digital skills can better take advantage of the multitude of available digital products and services to improve their own product or service and provide it at a more competitive price.
Individuals have the opportunity to bridge their own skills gap. IT graduates and skilled workers with ICT qualifications have the best job opportunities at the moment. A digital qualification on your resume can mean the difference between a career jump and a career leap as the skills gap remains open.
There is Scope To Work Across A Wide Range Of Industries
Not only are there numerous job opportunities available, trained digital specialists can also work across a wide range of different industries – anywhere in the world.
Almost every industry requires digital specialists, but these are the four industries crying out for digital experts:
IT (Information and Communications Technology)
There is no surprise that the technology sector is the most digitized. Pandemics created a big shift in how people would live their lives, causing the demand for IT-related services and products to explode.
While larger companies and SMEs have experienced dramatic demand for IT professionals, there has been an additional layer to this supply and demand. Start-ups are exploding in Australia and around the world and also require experienced IT professionals to establish their systems.
Professional Services
Digital transformation is a priority of the sector as it uses technology to enhance work practices, productivity and efficiency. As society evolves into a digital world, new roles of professional services arise that require new digital skills.
Customer expectations and demands are shifting, and virtual environments and automation of processes are making services more efficient and affordable. So professional services of all varieties are seeking out digital professionals to meet customer demand and create digital working environments.
Media
Different technologies are used by the media industry to thrive and achieve the best results. For instance, data analytics are used to manage content in real-time. By using customer insights, this technique delivers content that is relevant to the customer.
Media tasks are increasingly being automated, with digital systems being used to make marketing more efficient.
Insurance and Finance
The way business is conducted is undergoing profound changes in the sector. With the digital advancements and the change in customer behavior, digital-native initiatives, such as fintech and insurtech, have revolutionized the business.
By learning from startups, traditional financial and insurance institutions are rebuilding their operations to increase their competitiveness. There is a growing interest in technologies such as IoT, mobile, and cloud computing.
