Australia’s peak industry representative body for innovation technology, The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), today backs the Prime Minister’s economic roadmap to recovery.

In a speech delivered to the National Press Club today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison set out the recovery plan focusing on skills and training as a key target for reform in his JobMaker policy plan.

“We need Australians better trained for the jobs businesses are looking to create. It is that simple,” the Prime Minister said. 

The Prime Minister placed particular focus on digital technologies as one of the main pilots to grow - suggesting the need for a greater relationship between skills needed to fulfil a role in the workplace and education to meet this - with industries defining the qualifications needed.

Echoing the Prime Minister’s calls for greater focus on upskilling the workforce, the AIIA CEO, Ron Gauci said: “In order to protect jobs of the future there must be greater alignment with the digital industry. Re-skilling the IT workforce through investment, planning and greater education will not only benefit businesses and organisations requiring these services, but also encourage skilled jobs in Australia to flourish.

“I am encouraged by the Prime Minister’s plan for the labour market and the VET sector to support the economy post-COVID. As we begin to shift economic focus to rebooting and restoring our workforce, it’s important that we also allow for further investment and growth in our digital industries,” Mr Gauci said. 

AIIA agree with comments previously made by Treasurer Frydenberg when speaking at an address to the National Press Club on 5 May over the need for a greater digital presence in the economy and the need to reskill those in the field: “Reskilling those who may have lost their jobs, upskilling those in existing jobs to adapt to the enhanced digital and e-commerce environment and equipping those entering the workforce for the first time with the skills they need to get a job,” The Hon Josh Frydenberg said.

Digital technologies continue to be critical to the Australian economy and every level of business and government. During COVID-19, digital technology and its underlying infrastructure has supported the economy and will continue to be a crucial baseline for a successful modern Australian economy moving forward.

Mr Gauci said: “The pandemic has also highlighted the need for sovereign capabilities in the digital supply chain. Australia must have the skills and innovation ecosystem to support a globally competitive economy as this step change into digital transformation occurs.

“We are seeing current industry demand for digital skills around cyber security, cloud, applications development, AI, big data and analytics.” 

The AIIA is a not-for-profit organisation aimed at fuelling Australia’s future social and economic prosperity through technology innovation. 

About AIIA 

The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) is Australia’s peak representative body and advocacy group for those in the digital ecosystem. Since 1978 AIIA has pursued activities to stimulate and grow the digital ecosystem, to create a favourable business environment for members and to contribute to Australia’s economic prosperity. We do this by delivering outstanding member value by providing a strong voice of influence; building a sense of community through events and education; enabling a network for collaboration and inspiration; and developing compelling content and relevant and interesting information.