Engineers Australia : Changing workforce needs creates opportunities

A new Federal Government report has outlined the future of Australia's workforce and revealed growing demand for professionals in STEM industries. The report by CSIRO and the Australian Computer Society, titled Tomorrow's Digitally Enabled Workforce, identified six megatrends. The trends include continued advances in automation and artificial intelligence; jobs will be more flexible and agile due to digital technology; a requirement for entrepreneurial skills; and an increase in skills and education requirements for many professions. While the report found that 44% of Australian jobs would be impacted by these changes, Andrew Johnson, CEO of the Australian Computer Society and one of the report's authors, said there are numerous opportunities for engineers. 'The intent of this report is to look at a 15- to 20-year timeframe.