A report prepared jointly by by consulting firm Alphabeta and commissioned by AWS, Building Skills for the Changing Workforce found that only 30% of employers in Australia have a digital skills training plan in place, which could affect their competitiveness in such areas as  productivity, innovation, and employee retention.

This report surveyed 1,023 digitally skilled workers in both technology and non-technology roles and 326 employers in Australia representing public, private, and non-profit sectors of different sizes and industries.

The report highlights advanced cloud computing skills, and that the ability to migrate on-premises facilities to the cloud is anticipated to be among the top 10 in-demand digital skills by 2025 in Australia. 62% of workers in Australia feel they will require training in cloud-related skills by 2025 to progress in their careers. Among these workers who feel that they require training in cloud-related skills, 51% feel that they will need to learn how to make use of cloud-based tools in their work, 27% feel that they will require training in migrating on-premises facilities to the cloud and 25% will require cloud architecture design skills.

Skills such as machine learning, will also be in high demand in businesses from healthcare to agriculture, fintech to media and entertainment, which the findings indicate will emerge as the 6th most demanded digital skill by employers by 2025.

Employers who support skills training programs saw significant benefits, with 83% reporting improved employee productivity, 85% stating they were able to fast-track their digitisation goals, 81% achieving cost efficiencies, 84% reporting higher employee retention, and 80% seeing increased revenue.

“While the need for digital skills has been growing for years, this research shows that job changes due to the pandemic have accelerated the need for more training for both tech and non-tech workers on digital capabilities in Australia. Transitioning into a digital-first economy will help countries’ recovery from the pandemic and secure a stronger economic future. There is an urgent need for governments to work together with employers, training providers, and workers to meet these diverse and growing digital learning needs,” Genevieve Lim, AlphaBeta Director for Asia Pacific said.