Desperate Australian tech companies are deploying a range of innovative measures to overcome the enduring talent dearth.
“It’s tough. There simply isn’t enough talent in Australia to meet demand. At the junior to mid level, there’s certainly more talent, but the market is more competitive than ever,” says Dionne Woo, chief people officer of the 15-year-old hotel SaaS platform.“Almost every candidate has more than one job offer, with a high percentage of candidates already employed being counter-offered by their current employer. As a result, we’re seeing bidding wars and steep wages growth,” Woo says.
“While that remains important, we’re seeing a greater emphasis placed on company culture and open working policies in the queries we receive, as well as internal development programs,” Woo says.Building a pipeline in unconventional areas is enabling the SANS Institute to attract and reskill Australian Defence Force veterans and provide them with opportunities to re-enter the workforce.
Offering a rapid, at scale course can make a real contribution to addressing the tech talent shortage, he says.a people shortage, he says. “Organisations are recruiting for cyber professionals, and the challenge isn’t filling the role – the challenge is filling the role with the right person.”If organisations wait for a person to apply with the required skill set and experience, they’ll be waiting a long time, he says.
“Sekuro has invested in growing local graduates from the ground up in order to build its own pipeline of future leaders. We’ve found entry-level roles are important as a talent feeder for the company, so we’ve created a broad-reaching graduate program to attract and upskill staff.”
Not retirees then?