Sydney, Nov 29: A newly released employer guide, The Billion Dollar Benefit: Welcoming Tech Talent, provides valuable insights into leveraging the skills of skilled refugee and migrant professionals to address the growing tech skills gap.
Developed by the non-profit SSI and the Australian Computer Society (ACS), the guide offers ten practical tips for employers aiming to tap into this underutilized talent pool.
With the tech sector in Australia requiring approximately 60,000 skilled workers to meet its escalating demands, the guide emphasizes the need to look beyond conventional recruitment practices.
Despite just 7,000 IT graduates each year, there is a vast workforce of skilled and motivated individuals among refugees and migrants, contributing to the untapped solution for the industry’s challenges.
Violet Roumeliotis, CEO of SSI, highlighted the potential within Australia, stating, “Talent is distributed equally, but opportunity is not.”
The guide aims to assist businesses in embracing the diverse tech talent already present in the country, encouraging a shift toward inclusive recruitment practices.
The guide provides actionable steps for employers, including fostering a culture of questioning unconscious biases, prioritizing skills over specific qualifications, implementing diversity training, and using inclusive language in recruitment ads. The aim is to create workplaces that welcome and leverage the full potential of tech talent from diverse backgrounds.
Syrian-born Abd Almassih Alsaad, an experienced IT professional, shared his challenges in gaining recognition for his overseas qualifications in Australia.
The guide addresses such barriers and advocates for acknowledging the wealth of tech expertise, qualifications, and experience that skilled migrants and refugees bring.
Chris Vein, CEO of the Australian Computer Society, stressed the importance of recognizing the contributions migrants make to the Australian economy, particularly in addressing the critical shortage of skilled workers in the tech sector.
The guide aims to spur a coordinated effort among government, businesses, and education to unlock the potential of all Australians in the face of the challenges posed by the AI-driven economy.
Endorsed by LinkedIn, the guide is part of the collective effort to create economic opportunities for refugees, migrants, and all members of the workforce.
The report highlights the urgency for the tech sector to maximize the talents and experiences of recent arrivals from overseas, offering a strategic approach to address the skills gap and foster industry growth.
Key Messages from the Report:
- Australian tech employers face a significant need for 60,000 skilled positions annually.
- Skilled refugees and migrants represent an untapped source of tech talent that can address critical skill shortages and contribute to sector growth.
- By implementing the guide’s ten tips, the tech sector can unleash the full economic potential of skilled refugees and migrants, fostering industry-wide growth.
- Migrants and refugees are proven contributors to the economy, with the majority of Australian employers rating refugee staff as equally or more productive than the broader workforce.
- Realizing the potential of all migrants benefits the entire Australian community, contributing to economic and professional growth.
Statistics from the Report:
- 60,000 tech workers are needed in Australia annually.
- Only 7,000 students graduate with IT degrees in Australia each year.
- One in three occupations experiencing shortages is related to ICT.
- IT is the fourth most common pre-migration qualification held by migrants in Australia (12 per cent).
- Only two per cent of skilled migrants in Australia work in the ICT sector.
- One in four permanent skilled migrants works below their skill level.
- Over 85 per cent of Australian employers report that their refugee employees are as productive or more productive than the rest of their workforce.
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