Atlassian’s Scott Farquhar pledges 1000 new tech jobs over next 12 months

Atlassian co-chief executive Scott Farquhar has laid out plans to hire more than 1000 technology professionals across Australia and New Zealand over the next 12 months.

Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar: ‘Our research shows that tech jobs are more secure than other jobs, and that women have half the pay gap in tech compared to other high paying industries.’ Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Atlassian co-chief executive Scott Farquhar has laid out plans to hire more than 1000 technology professionals across Australia and New Zealand over the next 12 months, defying a market downturn at a time when other tech companies are initiating hiring freezes or laying off staff.

The Sydney-based company, which Mr Farquhar co-founded with fellow tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes in 2002, is confident that its Team Anywhere approach – employees can work from anywhere and only need to attend their nearest office four times a year – will give it an advantage when it comes to hiring.

The plans come ahead of this week’s Jobs and Skills Summit, which Mr Farquhar is attending, and a pledge by the Labor government to deliver 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030.

Mr Farquhar said more than half of Atlassian’s workforce lived more than two hours away from one of its offices, a number he expected to grow.

Over the next year Atlassian would hire 1032 R&D professionals, which would come from universities, banks and lay-offs from other tech companies, he said. The 1032 number is a nod to the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and 2009, when Atlassian hired 32 engineers. It is now hiring 1000 more than that, reflecting the Sydney company’s growth. The company produces software that teams use to collaborate and work on projects.

Atlassian co-founder and co-CEO Scott Farquhar at the construction site of Atlassian Central, which will anchor the Tech Central precinct in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

“We want to find experienced people in Australia, whether that’s from a big bank or a software company, or from people who haven’t been in the technology industry,” Mr Farquhar said. “Our research shows that tech jobs are more secure than other jobs, and that women have half the pay gap in tech compared to other high paying industries. We’re hiring people whether they’re from Brisbane, Bendigo and Ballarat, depending on where you want to be. These are the jobs of the future. And if we can’t fill all these roles here, they are jobs that can be done around the world, so we’ll look elsewhere.”

Construction has begun on Atlassian’s new 39-storey headquarters, which will anchor the Tech Central precinct in Sydney’s CBD and is expected to be open in 2027. Other tenants include Afterpay, Canva and ROKT. Mr Farquhar said Atlassian would not struggle to fill the space.

“The great thing about building it now is we can design it for how people will be working into the future,” he said.

He said he was looking forward to the Jobs and Skills Summit, which kicks off in Parliament House on September 1. The government has limited places at the summit to just 100; among those missing out are the chief executives of the big four banks.

Mr Farquhar is not calling for any specific policy change but wants solutions to help bridge Australia’s tech skills gap.

“The technology industry will be reasonably well represented, it could be 17 mining companies invited or whatever, but there is a recognition of how important the technology industry is to Australia’s future prosperity,” he said.

“The industry has grown at double the rate of the Australian economy over the last couple of years, and we need more graduates, more migrants, more women, more non-tertiary pathways, and these are all areas in which we’re trying to push forward.

“Ed Husic (the federal Minister for Industry and Science) has always been a strong proponent of the technology industry. I’ve been super-impressed with him and they have a handful of people representing the tech industry in ­government.

“It’s been positive so far but it’s only 100 days in, and governments should be gauged on the full arc of time versus just the first few months.”

Atlassian co-founder and co-CEO Scott Farquhar at the construction site of Atlassian Central, which will anchor the Tech Central precinct in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker