An Albanese Labor Government will work with industry to reach 1.2 million Australian tech-related jobs by 2030.

As we look to the future, there are real opportunities for Australians to be employed in the sector and drive future economic growth.

Too many experienced workers and businesses have left our shores due to the failure of the Morrison Government to back tech jobs in existing and emerging businesses.

Labor will work closely with the tech sector, including the Tech Council of Australia (TCA), to develop an industry plan that will look to strengthen existing firms, build new ones, and grow jobs here at home.

This plan will build on the TCA’s work scoping out what will be required to build a stronger sector by 2030.

Technology is a core pillar for our economy and is considered equivalent to the third largest sector in the economy behind mining and banking.

It stands as Australia’s seventh largest employing sector.

During the pandemic, it was technology that helped many businesses to stay afloat and allowed many Australians to continue to work from home.

Currently tech is responsible for 861,000 jobs. Working with the sector we want to grow an additional 340,000 jobs by 2030.

Australians with either TAFE or university qualification can build great tech-related careers. 

Australia’s tech sector is massively important to our economy. 

Growing tech related jobs to 1.2 million by 2030 would boost the sector’s contribution from $167 billion annually to $250 billion.

Labor believes that Australia has the smarts and know-how to meet this demand.

In contrast Scott Morrison doesn’t want to develop new tech here, he just wants to import it from overseas: “We’ve just got to be the best at adopting.

Taking it on board. Making it work for us. And we’re really good at that.” (Morrison, Address to the Australian E-Commerce Virtual Summit, 21 October 2020)

Labor will support more tech related jobs through:

• 465,000 fee-free TAFE places and 20,000 additional university places, focused on areas of skills shortage including tech.
• Establishing Jobs and Skills Australia to plan for the future workforce needs of the nation.
• Strengthening our sovereign capability through smarter government procurement and the establishment of the National Reconstruction Fund to support growing businesses.
• Supporting the creation of new firms and jobs through Startup Year, by offering 2,000 Commonwealth supported places at accredited university accelerators.
• Support the creation of new firms and strengthen existing ones by leveraging Commonwealth spending under Labor’s Buy Australian Plan.  

Only an Albanese Labor Government can deliver a better future for Australia.