IT talent shortage in Australia (battle lines drawn) – part 2

A major economic reality of modern day Australia is almost all industry sectors are plagued by a shortage of skilled staff.

Take a quick scan of the media:

• Mining industry needs 87,000 new workers by 2010
• One in three vacancies by 2012 will be in the property/construction industry
• Regardless of the state of the economy, demand for accounting talent never seems to cease

Not one sector seems to be immune from the scourge.

Faced with a national shortage, major industry sectors are drawing battle lines and bracing for a fight, which is increasingly fought at the gateway of new talent –  universities.  For the IT industry in particular, the fight is not only for the hearts and minds of a new generation of students, but fending off other industries fishing from the same talent pool.

On her part, the average student is armed to the teeth with information – unlike the past, each enrolling new student knows exactly how much she is worth, and what career options each industry offers. At the same time, the range of opportunities and career choices available, locally and globally, to a new generation of students. seems to improve every day.

Clearly, the first major profession to bore the brunt of a flat world (outsourcing), and for other myriad reasons (industry volatility, short-life of degrees, continuous up-skilling, no broad gender appeal etc) the IT profession is almost always faced with an uphill battle to sell itself.  And yet, the IT industry has no other option but to reach out.