PwC creating 2000 hi-tech jobs in Adelaide’s Rundle Mall at national hub

A national hi-tech hub in Adelaide’s Rundle Mall operated by global firm PwC will employ 2000 people in skilled jobs. Here’s who they’ll be hiring.

Two thousand skilled jobs will be created within five years at a service hub operated in Adelaide’s heart by global professional services firm PwC.

This is a dramatic expansion in employment since The Advertiser last March revealed at least 300 jobs would be created within 18 months at the national hub, designed to train skilled workers in high-demand fields.

The centre, which has a strong focus on digital and technology roles including cyber security, cloud computing, analytics and integrated infrastructure, was officially opened on Thursday morning by Premier Steven Marshall.

Of the first 271 people employed, 35 per cent have moved to Adelaide from interstate at their own expense to work at the Rundle Mall hub, in a building once occupied by David Jones.

Announcing the centre last March, PwC said significant growth in job numbers beyond the initial 300 positions was expected during the onshore delivery centre’s first three to five years.

It is now expected this employment figure will increase to 2000 within five years.

PwC Adelaide managing partner Jamie Briggs with digital identity analyst Yi Su and cyber security analyst Nicholas Sullivan. Picture: Russell Millard

Mr Marshall said PwC’s SA expansion “strengthens our state’s position as a hub for digital health innovation and as a world leader within the hi-tech sector”.

This was another example, he said, of “South Australia being a beacon for major companies to set up shop and create thousands of jobs”.

It is understood the decision to base the centre in Adelaide was made without seeking government funds or other support.

PwC Australia chief executive officer Tom Seymour last March said the centre would involve “a blend of experienced technical and managerial staff, as well as a strong pipeline of junior staff with relevant technical qualifications”.

PwC Adelaide managing partner Jamie Briggs said the firm was making a significant investment in growth to meet the rising demand for onshore skills in cyber, cloud and assurance services.

“The South Australian Government also has a strong focus on cybersecurity as an area of economic growth, making Adelaide the new destination for innovation,” said Mr Briggs, a former federal Liberal minister.

“It’s the city Australians want to work in, whether they live in or out of state, and is opening new and different prospects for resourcing and helping to build Australia’s workforce of the future.”

The PwC expansion follows US software giant Salesforce adding to hi-tech firms committing to Adelaide, also including Amazon, Google and Accenture.

The Advertiser on Wednesday revealed Salesforce had set up a new hub at Lot Fourteen, the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site, with plans to create 100 tech jobs.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas has vowed SA jobs always would be Labor’s number one priority if elected at the March 19 poll, with policies including a hydrogen jobs plan slated to created “thousands of secure, well-paid, new jobs” and a $20bn pipeline of renewable energy projects.