Australia’s server and storage market grows 11.3% in 2021
Research firm IDC has estimated the Australian server and storage market will grow 11.3% in 2021, reaching $1.6 billion. IDC expects the enterprise spending on servers and storage devices to continue to grow through 2023, reaching $1.7 billion, in parallel with public cloud consumption growth.
IDC found that the market size for infrastructure for both private cloud and traditional IT remains bigger than public cloud in Australia. This is because Australian enterprises are leveraging multiple cloud deployment models to optimise their IT infrastructure.
IT job ads in Australia continue to grow
Jobs portal Seek’s latest employment report saw a 13.9% growth in ICT job advertisements in April 2021. The number of job ads has seen steady growth, with an 8% increase in February and 7.5% in March.
Science and technology job advertisements saw a 6.3% increase in April, after a 6% and 5% in February and March, respectively.
Seek has once again noted the lowest level of applications per ad, with April being the lowest since 2012. That indicates a shortage of people looking for work.
AustCyber launches initiative to hire people from the autistic community
AustCyber has launched Genious Armory, a web portal to help attract cybersecurity talent from the autistic community.
Genius Armoury comprises five modules: introduction to cybersecurity; threats and exploits; networks; digital forensics; and cybersecurity tools. Those who finish the five steps receive a certificate of completion and can find information about education and employment options to pursue their next step.
Genius Armoury is seeking education partners to create pathways to their cybersecurity courses.
According to Amaze, an association that provides a helpline for parents of autistic children and training for both parents of and professionals working with autistic people, the unemployment rate for autistic individuals is 31.6%, which is triple the rate for people with a disability and almost six times the rate for people without a disability. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that in 2018, only 28.3% of all people with a disability of working age were employed full-time.
Gartner predicts that by 2023 the number of people with disabilities employed will triple due to technologies like artificial intelligence reducing barriers to access.
New South Wales government’s $250 million jobs program
The New South Wales government has launched the Jobs Plus Program with a $250 million investment that will provide eligible applicants with payroll tax relief of up to four years, subsidised training rebates, subsidy for new or expanding business, access to free or subsidised government accommodation, and spaces and assistance with planning approvals.
Australian businesses that employ 20 or more staff and international companies with at least 80 employees looking to create a minimum of 30 jobs before June 2024 are eligible to apply for Jobs Plus.