3 million workers needed by 2030

The Australian labour market will increase by another 3 million workers in the next 15 years to 2030, according to a new report.

The rise of new technology and digital disruption will also feed a level of entrepreneurialism unlike ever before. This will influence the economy with the rise of ‘silicon cities and beaches’ outside of metropolitan areas featuring small, agile businesses, the NBN-commissioned report predicted.

The ‘Super connected jobs’ report was compiled by KPMG partner, Bernard Salt, examines how the potential for universal access to fast broadband can shape the future Australian workforce and liberate staff from the confines of set working hours or places.

Salt believes Australians are at the dawn of a disruptive ‘uber-work era’ driven by improved broadband connectivity that will deliver a greater balance between work and lifestyle pursuits as we redefine how, when and where we work.

Jobs of the future will fall into five categories: the technocrats, the care givers, the specialist professions, the doers, and the creatives.

Technocrats are knowledge workers who are highly skilled, trained and well remunerated with the spectrum of jobs including electrical engineers, medical researchers and business entrepreneurs.

For instance, a technocrat job of the future might involve a collaboration between health scientists based in Melbourne’s Parkville medical research precinct and their counterpart based at California’s Stanford University, Salt said in the report.

“A research project in say, nanotechnology might then be commercialised, a company created, and venture capital sourced, all using real time communications and social networking. Start-ups will drive the growth of ‘silicon cities and silicon beaches’ outside of the bigger metropolitan areas because such businesses an entrepreneur chooses,” Salt said.

The report also highlighted job growth in the health, education and professional services sectors, derived from the advent of knowledge workers.

New technology in medical imagery, data management, robots, diagnostics, and overall patient care – combined with an ageing population – is driving up demand for labour in the health care sector, the report said.

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Follow Byron Connolly on Twitter:@ByronConnolly