2021 Census data shows Australia going high tech
The 2021 Census showed a rise in work and study in emerging fields of science and technology, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said today.
The number of people with an Information Technology qualification is now almost half a million (470,318), increasing by 36 per cent since 2016.
The fastest growing qualification in Australia was Security Science, at 5,805 people qualified (up 460 per cent since 2016). Qualifications in Artificial Intelligence also increased, at 630 people (up 200 per cent since 2016).
Dr David Gruen AO, Australian Statistician said, “The 2021 Census data released today about qualifications and occupations reflects the rising prominence of the digital economy in Australia.
“There are over 260,000 ICT Professionals and 74,000 ICT Managers in the workforce, an additional 86,000 since the last Census”.
Information Communication Technology occupations with the highest growth since 2016 include ICT Support and Test Engineers (15,635 people, up 54 per cent), Software and Applications Programmers (116,927 people, up 47 per cent) and ICT Business and Systems Analysts (34,793, up 47 per cent).
One in five ICT Professionals and ICT Managers are female. But for workers under 30 years of age, female representation is higher, accounting for one in three ICT Managers and ICT Business and Systems Analysts.
Migration is also a major contributor to the tech workforce. Two thirds of Software and Applications Programmers were born overseas, with India representing the largest cohort. Software and Applications Programmers is the third most common occupation for recent overseas arrivals, with 24,000 arriving since 2016.
| IT Qualification | Person Count 2016 | Person Count 2021 | Percentage growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Information Technology, nfd[1] | 238,280 | 307,409 | +29.0% |
2 | Computer Science, nfd | 58,264 | 84,469 | +45.0% |
3 | Programming | 21,751 | 32,917 | +51.3% |
4 | Information Systems, nfd | 14,500 | 21,913 | +51.1% |
5 | Networks and Communications | 7,168 | 10,356 | +44.5% |
[1] nfd – means not further defined and indicates that the Census response did not have enough detail to classify the person into a finer detailed qualification.
| ICT Occupation | Employees 2016 | Employees 2021 | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ICT Support and Test Engineers | 10,172 | 15,635 | +53.7% |
2 | Software and Applications Programmers | 79,578 | 116,927 | +46.9% |
3 | ICT Business and Systems Analysts | 23,713 | 34,793 | +46.7% |
4 | Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists | 23,681 | 34,293 | +44.8% |
5 | ICT Managers | 59,126 | 74,540 | +26.1% |
Downloadable video quotes
Census data released today has shown Australians are now increasingly qualified in the fields of science and technology, with ‘Security Science’ being the fastest-growing qualification since 2016.
Migration is a major contributor to the tech workforce, with two-thirds of Software and Applications Programmers born overseas, and 24,000 of these programmers arriving in Australia since 2016.
Software and Applications Programming is the third most common occupation for recent arrivals to Australia.
Media notes
- When reporting ABS data you must attribute the Australian Bureau of Statistics (or the ABS) as the source.
- For media requests and interviews, contact the ABS Media Team via media@abs.gov.au (8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri).
Search for 2021 Census data through the QuickStats tool.