Artificial intelligence (AI) is projected to create up to 200,000 AI-related jobs in Australia by 2030, new findings suggest. 

This is according to a new report from the Tech Council of Australia (TCA), backed by Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Workday.

The report, titled Meeting the AI Skills Boom (PDF), highlights the growing demand for workers to support AI development and adoption. 

However, it warns of potential skills shortages without substantial reforms.

TCA CEO Damian Kassabgi says this growth is not confined to the tech sector alone. 

“In addition to roles that are responsible for developing, designing, and maintaining AI systems, we will need people with skills in areas such as human resources, sales, and governance to successfully scale these systems and businesses to harness the potential in front of us,” he said.

The report finds that reaching 200,000 AI workers by 2030 will necessitate a 500 per cent increase in the current AI workforce within seven years. 

This ambitious target requires a significant influx of workers to meet the soaring demand and to adapt to evolving job requirements across both tech and non-tech roles.

To achieve this, the skills shift could be addressed through a combination of entry-level training, upskilling existing workers, and mid-career training. 

The report suggests that diversifying training pathways, such as increased uptake in vocational education and training (VET) or short-course training, could boost the supply of workers in areas like cybersecurity, product, and design roles.

The experts say that promoting awareness of AI jobs and the necessary skills, along with enhancing AI literacy across the workforce, is crucial. 

This could foster job growth in fields such as finance, human resources, sales, operations, and governance, encompassing legal, policy, and risk and compliance roles.

Expanding the AI workforce to facilitate greater AI development and adoption in Australia is expected to generate substantial economic benefits too. 

Increased adoption of generative AI alone could contribute $115 billion to the economy, with 70 per cent of this benefit stemming from productivity gains, the research suggests.