Digital Future – New Zealand

The global health crisis has accelerated digitalisation by at least a decade. For New Zealand to be a world leading digital economy, there’s a need to build digital technology skills, develop a tech start-up ecosystem that will create more employment opportunities in the economy.

We want you to re-imagine learning and skills programs that will lead to a thriving digital start-up ecosystem in New Zealand. While technology is changing our lives for the better, it’s also augmenting how we work, replacing repetitive tasks performed by humans and allowing people the opportunity to work in areas that leverage creative and cognitive skills.

According to research from NZTech, the global health crisis has pushed New Zealand’s digital skills shortage to crisis point. The organisation’s digital skill survey found that the pandemic has caused a severe skills shortage of digital skills in New Zealand and there could be as many as 10,000 open roles that companies are struggling to fill.

For New Zealand to be a world leading digital economy it’s crucial for it to re-imagine its approach to education, learning and employment that will accelerate digital skills. An important area to consider while working on this challenge is the need to build a culture that encourages New Zealanders to embrace digital skills.

• How can we enable workers today and tomorrow possess the skills to succeed in our future?
• How can we prepare future students for the jobs of tomorrow?
• How can we identify and encourage the next generation of technologists who may need help to realise those future opportunities?

Everything from business operations to consumer choices to employment opportunities have changed due to the global health crisis. The impact of digital skills shortage in our labour market is significantly impacting our country’s economic output. How can we build net-new talent and build a sustainable ecosystem of job creation via New Zealand digital start-up and enable talent that can support such an ecosystem.

Additional Information:

Additional links:

IT Brief New Zealand (12 August 2021): NZ’s digital skills shortage reaches crisis point: How to attract and retain talent during tough times

NZ Tech: New Zealand facing a digital skills crisis

Image credit: Infosys