Australian government urges collaboration on skills

29.05.2006
The Australian federal government urged the Australian Computer Society to collaborate with universities, the ICT (Infocomm and Communications Technology) and the industry to address dwindling ICT skill shortages.

A government committee identified government security, business analysis, management and open source support as the most affected areas.

Special Minister of State Gary Nairn blamed falling unemployment and high wages for the shortages.

Higher wages and historically low unemployment over the past decade has produced a unique situation where there are more jobs than there are skilled workers, Nairn said.

ACS president Phillip Argy said this shift will cause employers to invest more in recruiting IT staff.

"Skills shortages will drive employers to be more creative; [this] highlights the increasing shift of power towards employees in the sector," he said.