A new report released by the RMIT Digital CBD Project has revealed that the growing gap in digital skills is a security risk and prohibitive to Melbourne becoming a Digital CBD. 

“For Melbourne to become a Digital Central Business District, we need to enhance our collective understanding of the digital skills shortages among professionals – an important first step on the path toward global excellence, for the state of Victoria,” RMIT’s Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation Director Professor Matt Warren said. 

According to the World Economic Forum, around 3.7 million digitally skilled workers will be required in Australia within the next five years. This prediction shows a huge grow in demand for a tech-oriented workforce in the country. 

The report not only highlights the lack of coordination across the industry to adequately address the digital skills issue, but also reveals that it is a big risk to the city’s goals of becoming a future sustainable and secure Digital CBD. 

Professor Warren further believes that Australia is more vulnerable than ever to cyber security attacks due to the rapid increase in digital transformation combined with the outcome of the pandemic, which impacted the digital skills gap as over $33 billion was lost due to cybercrime in Australia in 2020-21.

“The environments we study and work in now demand unprecedented agility and precaution from us,” he explained. 

Since the pandemic, many organisations have invested heavily in technology to address immediate concerns, such as falling revenue, interrupted supply chains, building longer-term competitiveness and resilience.  

As part of the report study, RMIT researchers conducted the first known Melbourne-focused survey of information and communications technology and cyber security professionals, which provided key report insights into the state of the industry particularly in the Melbourne CBD. 

The report’s author Dr Ahmad Salehi Shahraki said that cyber security was the top advanced digital skill identified as being most needed by professionals and that it was a growing digital skills gap. 

“Although over 60% of respondents from our survey indicated there has been an increase in the number of cyber security staff, compared to three years ago, only a quarter of respondents believe they currently have enough cyber security professionals working in their organisation,” he said. 

RMIT’s survey also confirmed existing research of a gender imbalance, revealing that less than 15% of workers in the cyber security industry were women, making it the industry with the biggest gender gap.      

“Women make up half of the workforce, so it makes sense that we would want to attract more women to upskill in digital skills, considering the huge digital skills gap,” Professor Warren added. 

Following the findings, the report highlights the need to educate all ages in digital skills, from students at primary school level to existing professionals, as well as migrants entering the country. 

The RMIT report also endorses a more collaborative approach to the growing and urgent need for a digitally-oriented workforce. It was recommended that a Victorian Digital Skills Academy, an Australian Cyber Security Accreditation Body and an Australian Cyber Security Body of Knowledge be established to help the government in addressing the digital skills gap.

Aside from supporting the increase of skilled migration in the region and the investing in innovative school programs highlighting the skills required in a digital economy, it was also recommended that the government create a comprehensive ICT and Cyber Security Diversity Action Plan for Victoria, and a program that will increase the awareness of digital technologies and the need to upskill digital skills within the Melbourne CBD.  

Source: RMIT News. Content has been edited for style and length. 

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.

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