Progress for tech industry, but greater focus on attracting women, Indigenous Territorians
NT’s tech workforce is up 30 per cent in eight years, but the next step is bridging the ‘digital divide’. Find out how.
Northern Territory
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More Territorians are taking to the technology sector due to a rise in demand for technological skills, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) reports.
The NT’s tech workforce has increased to more than 5700 employees, up from 4468 – nearly 30 per cent – in 2016, as reported in the 2024 ACS Digital Pulse.
In 2023 alone, the industry grew by eight per cent in the NT, just one per cent shy of the national average.
Expectations are that growth will continue due to “impressive progress” made in the tech sector, with projections of surpassing 7000 employees by 2030, ACS NT branch chair Damien Charles said.
“It’s a very positive period of time for us with changing technologies, [there are] lots of different opportunities, but one of the challenges we face is attracting more people in to fill the roles,” Mr Charles said.
“Skills, capabilities and experience in the Territory is one of the areas we need to address and many industries face the same issues of attracting skilled people into the NT so a lot of our focus has been developing young Territorians through pathways into our future workforce.”
The NT is in a better position than ever before in the tech space, with major local initiatives strengthening the health of the industry, and the quality of opportunities available,” Mr Charles said.
“The creative space around The Array is something that hasn’t been there in the past and now creates a real opportunity for people to come together, share ideas and bring together knowledge and experience, and that’s fantastic,” he said.
“Also [Charles Darwin University’s] investment into the radicle centre to help high school students and promoting STEM as a career pathway.
“We’ve also seen our first significant tier one data centre in the NT and other ones are being discussed for future implementation as well.”
A key focus area highlighted in the report was the attraction of more women into the industry, but Mr Charles said it was also important to attract more Indigenous Territorians into the sector.
We are very focused on attracting more women into the industry but also importantly more Indigenous Territorians into the industry.
“As our future grows and is future proofed, we want to make sure that the participation in the industry of women and Indigenous Territorians increases because that’s providing careers for the future.
“We feel if we’re not bringing more of those groups in it will lessen opportunities and create more of a digital divide in our community.”
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