EMPLOYMENT IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
INTRODUCTION
Information and communication technology (ICT) is an important driver of productivity and innovation. ICT workers can be found in a range of industries across the economy including Property and business services, Communication services, and Government administration and defence. This article uses data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to analyse characteristics of people employed in ICT occupations (also referred to as ICT workers) in Australia over the past five years.
EMPLOYMENT IN ICT OCCUPATIONS
Table 1 shows the occupations referred to in this article. For the purposes of the article, the occupations relating to ICT have been grouped into two broader occupational groups: Computing professionals and technicians, and Electronic engineers/technicians and communication technicians. As table 1 shows, the proportion of total employed people who are ICT workers has remained relatively stable at around 3.5% over the five years to 2005-06.
The total number of ICT workers did not change much between 2002-03 and 2004-05 but then grew by 4% between 2004-05 and 2005-06, to 348,200. This growth was driven by the increase in the number of Computing professionals and technicians.
In 2005-06 almost half (47%) of all ICT workers were Computing professionals (i.e. system managers, designers, programmers and auditors, software designers, and applications and analyst programmers). The number of Electronic engineering associate professionals fell by 39% between 2004-05 and 2005-06.
1. Employed persons, ICT occupation groups - 2000-01 to 2005-06(a)(b) |
|  |
| | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
| | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | |
| |
| Computing professionals and technicians | | | | | | |
| Information technology managers | 29.5 | 30.2 | 29.7 | 38.5 | 43.4 | |
| Computing professionals | 163.2 | 174.8 | 174.6 | 153.0 | 162.0 | |
| Computing support technicians | 29.4 | 29.7 | 30.7 | 42.0 | 41.3 | |
| Total | 222.1 | 234.7 | 235.0 | 233.5 | 246.7 | |
| Electronic engineers/technicians and communication technicians | | | | | | |
| Electrical and electronics engineers | 23.7 | 26.4 | 23.7 | 25.9 | 29.4 | |
| Electronic engineering associate professionals | 15.5 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 18.9 | 11.5 | |
| Electronic and office equipment tradespersons | 32.6 | 36.7 | 33.9 | 34.9 | 33.5 | |
| Communications tradespersons | 20.7 | 24.5 | 24.7 | 21.0 | 23.9 | |
| Electrical and telecommunications trades assistants | *2.8 | *2.9 | *2.8 | *2.2 | *3.3 | |
| Total | 95.3 | 105.0 | 100.2 | 102.9 | 101.6 | |
| Total ICT workers | 317.4 | 339.7 | 335.2 | 336.3 | 348.2 | |
| Total employed | 9 143.8 | 9 377.5 | 9 528.0 | 9 800.0 | 10 042.1 | |
| Proportion of total employed that are ICT workers (%) | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | |
| |
| * estimate is subject to sampling variability too high for most practical purposes |
| (a) Financial year average. |
| (b) Estimates may not add to the total due to rounding. |
AGE
ICT workers tend to be younger than all employed people, although the proportion of ICT workers aged 15-24 years (11%) is lower than for all employed people (18%). In 2005-06, people aged 25-34 years represented 33% of all ICT workers (compared to 22% of all employed people). Another 30% of all ICT workers were aged 35-44 years.
2. Employed persons, Age - 2005-06(a)
SEX
Most of the people working in ICT are men. Of the 348,200 ICT workers in 2005-06, 85% (295,000) were men. The number of male ICT workers increased by 6% between 2004-05 and 2005-06. In contrast, the number of female ICT workers fell by 8% between 2004-05 and 2005-06 to 53,300. In 2005-06 male ICT workers represented 5% of all employed men, while female ICT workers represented 1% of all employed women.
COUNTRY OF BIRTH
Over the five financial years to 2005-06, the number of overseas-born ICT workers increased from 115,200 to 134,300. In 2005-06, 39% of all ICT workers were overseas-born, compared to 25% of all employed people.
3. ICT workers born overseas(a) |
| |
| Financial year | '000 | % of all ICT workers | |
| |
| 2001-02 | 115.2 | 36.3 | |
| 2002-03 | 119.4 | 35.2 | |
| 2003-04 | 122.4 | 36.5 | |
| 2004-05 | 122.1 | 36.3 | |
| 2005-06 | 134.3 | 38.6 | |
| |
| (a) Financial year average. |
INDUSTRY
During the five year period from 2001-02 to 2005-06 the industry which employed the largest proportion of ICT workers was the Property and business services industry (which includes a Computer services subdivision). In 2005-06, about 37% of all ICT workers were employed in the Property and business services industry, compared to 12% of all employed people. Computing professionals and technicians accounted for 85% of all ICT workers in this industry. The second largest group of ICT workers was in the Communication services industry (13%) with most employed as Electronic engineers/technicians and communication technicians.
4. ICT workers and total employed, Selected industries - 2005-06(a)
HOURS WORKED
In 2005-06 the proportion of ICT workers employed full-time (91%) was higher than the proportion of all employed persons working full-time (71%). The average hours usually worked each week by all ICT workers was higher than the average for all employed persons (40.7 hours compared with 36.7 hours). This is largely due to the higher proportion of ICT workers being employed full-time. Average weekly hours usually worked by full-time ICT workers were slightly lower than those worked by all full-time workers (42.5 hours compared with 44.2 hours). For those ICT workers employed part-time, the average weekly hours usually worked was slightly higher than the average of all people employed part-time (21.0 hours compared with 18.2 hours).
STATE/TERRITORY
In 2005-06 the highest concentration of ICT workers occurred in the ACT, where they represented about 9% of all employed people. The lowest concentration of ICT workers was in Tasmania, accounting for approximately 2% of all employed people in this state.
There is a high concentration of ICT workers in capital cities. In 2005-06, 78% of all people employed in ICT occupations were based in a capital city, compared with 63% of all employed people.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information, please contact the Assistant Director, Labour Market, on Canberra (02) 6252 7206.
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