Talent Rush Down Under: Public Cloud Adoption Sparks Massive Job Creation in ANZ
- By DWFTrends editors
- May 09, 2023
As public cloud adoption in Australia and New Zealand surges, the talent market faces a significant shift. A new whitepaper commissioned by Microsoft and authored by International Data Corporation (IDC) reveals that by 2026, thousands of jobs in cloud computing and related areas will be created, driving the need for digital skills and expertise in various domains.
With the proliferation of use cases for public cloud adoption, requirements for new skills will emerge, and new jobs will be created in areas such as cloud management, orchestration, and security.
Additionally, leveraging the cloud to drive digital transformation will require new skills in emerging technology areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), digital marketing, and digital-assisted security. These new jobs will necessitate skillsets that may not currently exist in organizations, prompting them to hire externally and/or develop those skills internally to support the expansion of use cases for the public cloud.
The growth in public cloud adoption is fueled by organizations looking to improve their capabilities and optimize costs since the pandemic. IDC anticipates this trend will accelerate, with the public cloud becoming the dominant platform for digital transformation.
The whitepaper projects that public cloud adoption and adjacent fields, such as security, data mining, and analytics, will generate 596,750 jobs in Australia and 134,000 in New Zealand. Approximately 20% of these roles require specific technical and IT-related digital skills.
Given the growing demand for digital skills, the whitepaper emphasizes the importance of upskilling existing workforces to cultivate cloud knowledge and expertise. A shortage of skilled professionals is among the top 10 governance-related challenges for businesses in Australia and New Zealand seeking to reap the full benefits of the cloud.
Linus Lai, research vice president at IDC Asia/Pacific, explains that cloud computing allows organizations to free up IT resources for technology and business innovation, driving revenue growth for both cloud adopters and suppliers, including systems integrators, software providers, and professional services providers.
Organizations with established cloud migration strategies will continue proactively adopting public cloud services to boost business efficiency, while others without such strategies must adapt reactively.
Steven Worrall, managing director at Microsoft ANZ, highlights the relentless demand for public cloud services in Australia and New Zealand as organizations persist in digitally transforming their operations, innovating, and capitalizing on technologies such as AI and data analytics. He notes that cloud technology will help organizations remain resilient in today's challenging economic environment by streamlining IT systems, reducing costs, and minimizing risks.