A study of business leaders by DXC Technology and emerging technology analyst Telsyte has revealed that 35,000 new IT jobs will be needed in 2019, with almost one in five Australian organisations creating new internal roles to meet the growth of digital transformation.
With roles such as data architect and business intelligence analyst in huge demand, this figure rises to over a third for those in banking and finance, administration, support and professional services.
Further, more than one in five organisations are set to create artificial intelligence (AI) specific roles. Almost half of the organisations surveyed see AI and employees working together to complete tasks and more jobs being created (57%) than taken away by digital transformation.
The study, “Beyond Disruption: Australian organisations race to digital transformation success,” provides new insights into the digital challenges and opportunities of 447 Australian organisations.
The study revealed that whilst 41% of Australian organisations now see an organisation-wide digital strategy as the dominant approach for managing digital transformation, almost the same proportion are still adopting a siloed business-unit approach.
“Rolling out a digital strategy organisation-wide is now considered a superior approach by the majority of organisations as it best places companies to fend off competitors, innovate and deliver long term outcomes,” said DXC ANZ MD Seelan Nayagam.
While most organisations start their digital journeys as processes of modernising the workplace and workforce, the focus of many digital transformations in Australia has now turned to the customer experience.
More than 60% of large organisations cited customer experience as a top five business priority when it comes to implementing a digital strategy. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of organisations with digital strategies stated they have increased the value they provide for their customers.
The study also showed that on average, organisations believe they have only 2.2 years to integrate digital initiatives to mitigate digital disruption.
However, this level of urgency is not reflected in how quickly firms are adapting; more than two in three are still taking reactive approaches to digital disruption, notably small and midsized organisations.
Large organisations, the study revealed, are twice as aggressive in trying to digitally disrupt their industries and partnering with others to disrupt their markets.
In assessing who in an organisation leads the digital transformation strategy, the study showed one in three CEOs are now involved in leading digital transformation strategies, confirming the strategic importance of top leadership in driving change.
However, digital literacy levels among CEOs and upper management remain an issue, with 30% to 40% of CEOs not considered digitally literate. The study suggests that the rise of millennial CEOs is likely to increase literacy levels in organisations, and generational changes will be a feature of organisations that are looking for cultural change.
Despite over a quarter (26%) of organisations saying a lack of employee engagement is a likely reason for digital transformation failure, fewer than half are speaking with their employees about digital transformation, disruption or changes due to AI or automation.
The exception seems to be when firms take organisation-wide approaches to digital transformation where more than three-quarters are providing employees with necessary information.