The IT and software services sector is going through a recruitment boom, even though COVID-19 is causing a sharp decline in year-on-year hiring growth across all Australian industries.
That's according to the latest LinkedIn Economic Graph, which notes that the software and IT services sector's hiring growth has increased 17.3% in the last week of March, followed by the finance industry at 10.3%.
According to LinkedIn Economic Growth Asia Pacific and China lead Pei Ying Chua, the rise in hiring can partly be attributed to the fact that software and finance sectors are more likely to provide jobs with a remote working aspect to them.
Commenting on the findings, Unifii founder and CEO Stuart Cameron says that most enterprises are only now discovering that they did not have sufficient measures to navigate through COVID-19, which means there is an immediate need for IT software and services.
“This shift in conventional attitudes towards remote workplace environments has resulted in a complete overhaul in the way we work as well as a greater strain on CEOs and IT leaders today to ensure their enterprise is ready for a new way of working,” says Cameron.
Those companies that have previously overseen digital transformation are less at risk, and one of the reasons why they're not scrambling is because they took the right actions to enable business continuity and are now able to support workers from home.
He notes that CEOs need to integrate talent with the right tools and frameworks that can help monitor the mental health and wellbeing of their staff.
“That is a critical aspect of where the current operational environment for businesses today will need closer attention, particularly as all teams become more remote and agile in ways we have never seen before.
LiveTiles CXO and co-founder Peter Nguyen-Brown adds that Australian government services and policymakers must understand that software services are now more important than ever – but it is an industry that has long faced skills shortages and STEM participation gaps.
"What this data shows is the undeniable truth that critical skills in agile methodologies, software-as-a-service, business process improvement and software development are all in high demand."
“LiveTiles sees AI as the cornerstone for providing intelligent and collaborative workplace solutions that meet and exceed the expectations of the workforces of tomorrow particularly at a time when COVID-19 has shaken the total foundations on which modern workplace environments have been built.