Do We Have an ICT Skills Gap in Queensland? (Spoiler: Yes. But It's Complicated.

Ask almost anyone working in Queensland's tech sector whether we have a skills gap, and they'll say yes before you finish the question.

Ask them what's causing it, and you'll get five different answers.

That's because the ICT skills gap isn't one problem. It's several problems layered on top of each other - and untangling them matters if we actually want to fix it.

How Did We Get Here?

The short version: demand for ICT skills has grown much faster than the pipeline producing them. According to the ACS Australia’s Digital Pulse Report, the national technology workforce is forecast to reach 1.3 million by 2030, putting immense pressure on local talent pools.

Over the past decade, digital transformation stopped being a nice-to-have and became a core requirement across every industry - government, health, resources, education, retail. Every one of those sectors is now competing for the same pool of people.

At the same time, the definition of "ICT skills" kept shifting. The certifications and qualifications that were industry-standard five years ago are already becoming outdated. Cybersecurity, cloud architecture, AI and machine learning, data engineering - these disciplines are now in persistent national shortage, a trend highlighted in the Jobs and Skills Australia Skills Priority List.

Is It Generational?

Partly. And it cuts in both directions.

Experienced professionals in their 40s and 50s built careers on infrastructure, systems, and processes that are now being replaced or fundamentally changed. Retraining is available, but it's often expensive, time-consuming, and not always well-supported by employers.

Meanwhile, younger workers are entering the industry with strong theoretical foundations but limited practical experience. The internship and graduate pathway ecosystem in Queensland isn't as robust as it needs to be - particularly outside of the major tech firms. Many smaller businesses and government agencies want to hire junior talent but aren't set up to develop it.

What Are the Solutions?

There's no single lever, but there are a few areas where Queensland is starting to make real progress. Much of this work aligns with the Queensland Government’s "Our Thriving Digital Future" Action Plan, which serves as the official roadmap for the state's digital economy through 2026.

Industry-education partnerships are one of the most effective tools we have. When companies get involved in curriculum design, offer placements, and engage with training providers, the gap between what graduates know and what employers need starts to close. TAFE Queensland’s ICT training and traineeship initiatives are a direct response to this challenge, creating a bridge between study and the workplace.

Fee-free and subsidised training has brought more people into the pipeline who might otherwise have ruled out ICT as an option. Widening access matters — both for equity reasons and because we simply need more people.

Microcredentials and short-form upskilling are helping working professionals retrain without leaving the workforce. The challenge is getting employers to recognise and value these pathways alongside traditional qualifications.

What Needs to Happen Next?

Honestly? More conversations like the ones that happen when industry and government sit down together - whether that's at a policy table or, yes, a trivia night.

The skills gap is a shared problem. It won't be solved by training providers alone, or by employers alone, or by government alone. It requires everyone to understand each other's constraints, align on priorities, and actually coordinate.

Queensland has the community and the will to do that. The question is whether we keep that momentum going.

ICT Industry Queensland brings together industry and government to tackle challenges like these. Learn more at ictindustryqld.org.