Ready, set, upskill: Effective training for the jobs of tomorrow

Ready, set, upskill: Effective training for the jobs of tomorrow

Are we ready for the jobs of tomorrow? This report provides fresh insights into the skill needs post-COVID, how prepared Australians feel for a changing workplace, and how to train for the future.

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Economists, politicians and futurists have been talking about “the future of work” for the better part of a decade. And yet, change has been slow.

Flash forward to 2020, and COVID-19 has catapulted businesses and individuals into the future of work. One of the biggest emerging skill needs for the Australian economy is digital skills. Australia will need 156,000 more digital technology workers by 2025, representing one in four jobs created during that period.

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The digital skills gap shows that few Australians are ready for the jobs of tomorrow

If Australia can address the digital skills gap, it will turbocharge the economy, helping businesses in the Technology, Media and Communications industry alone grow by $10 billion by 2025.

  • During COVID-19, jobs with programming skills, mathematics, technology design and data analysis were among the fastest growing.
  • Employees themselves identify web app and software development, data science, data analysis and coding/programming as some of the most in demand skills in the economy.
  • Overall, 87% of jobs in Australia require digital literacy skills.
  • Already, 50,600 Australians reported lacking necessary skills or education as their main difficulty in finding work.

Are you ready for the next set of workforce challenges in 2022?

Many Australians used the pandemic to learn new skills, although very few focused on upskilling in technical or digital literacy fields.

How prepared do Australians feel for the future workplace?

1 in 3 Australians said their day-to-day tasks are different to what they were before the pandemic.

1 in 4 Australians said they were worried about being made redundant.

1 in 4 Australians felt they didn’t have the skills they need.

*This report takes into account 1078 respondents from across the Australian workforce.

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Myth debunking - people care about a learning culture at work

  • 56% of respondents prefer dedicated training over free lunches at work
  • 52% of respondents prefer a learning culture over a fun culture at work
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88% of organisations find it difficult to hire employees with the skills they need.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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aboriginal flag float-start torres strait flag float-start

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.

More information