Upskilling key to beating looming threat of AI and automation for Australian IT professionals

SYDNEY, Australia – 14 August 2017 – Australian businesses appear to be lacking preparedness for the imminent uptake of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation according to their IT contractors. This was based on a recent nationwide survey of nearly 1,500 IT professionals conducted by Ajilon, one of the country’s leading ICT solutions providers. 

The findings revealed that while a majority (91%) of respondents believe upskilling is important to remain relevant in their jobs, one in four (25%) are concerned their company does not see AI and automation as a threat despite their beliefs. Further to that, 17 per cent also indicated that their company is not moving fast enough to keep pace with rapid technology changes. 

As a result, close to one in five (16%) IT professionals admitted to feeling insecure about their job prospects as the adoption of AI and automation continues to gain momentum globally. 

“Like it or not, AI and automation are set to play an increasing role across our personal and work lives in the near future. As such, it is critical that Australian businesses prepare themselves for the fundamental changes that robots will bring,” said Rod Crozier, General Manager of Staffing at Ajilon. 

“While it is true that certain jobs have and will disappear due to computerisation, AI will also see the creation of many new jobs over the coming years. Businesses need to start looking at how we can successfully harness these intelligent technologies to enrich our lives and not ignore the role they will eventually come to play,” he added. 

In fact, the survey findings suggest that the effects of automation have well and truly arrived, with almost one in five (16%) respondents indicating that their roles have changed in the past year as a result. 

Of these, 59 per cent have had to upskill their existing capabilities, 15 per cent had to pick up an entirely new technical skill, and almost one in 10 (9%) have switched job scopes completely as their previous role was no longer required. Worryingly, one in 10 (11%) have already been made redundant in the past 12 months due to computerisation and automation. 

Upskilling as the way forward 

In order to mediate the effects of the digital revolution, further emphasis on continual upskilling was found to be extremely desirable amongst Australian IT professionals. The findings identified 89 per cent of respondents to be interested in upskilling, compared to only 3 per cent who weren’t keen. 

Those surveyed have also recognised the value of developing a balanced hybrid of both soft, human skills, as well as hard, technical skills. 61 per cent expressed it was important to improve these capabilities via training in order to remain relevant in their roles. 

“The ongoing digital revolution is creating a continuous change in skills that are in demand. What this means is that traditional skills are becoming outdated very quickly. Given that we can’t always foresee how these changes will play out, it is vital that businesses respond with a readiness to reskill and upskill their employees,” said Crozier. 

“Soft, human oriented skills such as empathy and EQ are also becoming more vital than ever – an employee with a great attitude will be able to adapt much quicker in the face of digital disruptions.” 

“At the moment, a significant number of IT professionals are investing their own time and money into upskilling, with almost half of those survey (45%) indicating so,” he added. “There’s a need for businesses to strike a balance between ongoing talent development, whilst at the same time ensuring they are successfully harnessing AI and automation to drive efficiencies and deliver the best service for their customers.” 

Note to Editors: 
*The survey was conducted by Ajilon in July 2017 and involved 1,497 Australian IT professionals spread across the country and various sectors. These include Government & Defence; Information Communications & Technology; Banking, Finance and Insurance; Telecommunications; Healthcare; Education; and Retail, amongst others. 

About Ajilon 
Ajilon is an Australia-wide company with over 1,100 consultants, delivering innovative technology and staffing solutions for its clients. In collaboration with leading global ICT partners, Ajilon’s people and solutions continually deliver real business value. 

For more information, please visit www.ajilon.com.au 

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