A new report launched by Professionals Australia has found that Australia’s Tech and IT industries are dividing into a two-speed economy with game workers, public sector employees and women at a significant disadvantage.
The Employment and Remuneration Trends for Tech and IT Professionals report released today found that game workers and government employees in tech and IT roles received significantly lower base salaries and pay rises than those in the “Traditional Tech” and emerging “New Tech” sectors.
Key Finding:
- New report finds pay in games sector is little more than half what’s paid at companies like Google and Atlassian
- IT workers in the public sector more than three times as likely to experience bullying
- Women paid up to 14% less than men, twice as likely to be bullied or harassed
Women working in tech and IT also faced major disadvantages, with low representation, particularly in senior management levels, a significant gender pay gap and a greater likelihood of experiencing discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
Professionals Australia interim CEO Paul Inglis said the report provided new insights into an Australian tech and IT sector divided into a two-speed economy.
“The perception of the tech and IT sector is often of innovation, dynamism, growth and high salaries.
“But the reality for the tech and IT workers on the ground can vary depending on where you work and your gender.
“Workers in the ‘New Tech’ sector at companies like Atlassian, Canva, Xero and Google and the ‘Traditional Tech’ sector, including managed service providers and data processing, continue to enjoy higher base salaries and pay rises.
“However, if you are a tech worker in the games industry or public sector, you can expect a base salary up to 50 per cent less and half the pay rise compared with your colleagues working in the ‘New Tech’ and ‘Traditional Tech’ sectors.
“Further, while median salaries for all tech workers rose 5.8%, IT workers in the public sector only received an average 2% rise in a year where inflation rose 7%.
Mr Inglis also said that women in the tech and IT sectors continued to fare considerably worse than their male counterparts on a range of important measures.
“With just 23 per cent of survey respondents female, women in the tech and IT sector continued to be significantly underrepresented, particularly in senior managerial roles.
“Gender pay gaps in the games industry and ‘New Tech’ sector of around 14 per cent persist, and it’s clear that businesses must do more to attract, retain, and support women into senior leadership roles.”
The research found that women were far more likely to experience harassment and discrimination throughout the course of their careers in the tech and IT sector.
“Overall, women were also more than twice as likely to report harassment and bullying.”
“Women considering leaving the industry were more likely to report reasons of discrimination, bias and incompatibility of work with parenting responsibilities compared with men.”
Mr Inglis said the report demonstrated the ongoing need for focused and consistent collection bargaining to boost wages, eliminate gender discrimination and improve working conditions.
“The findings of this report underline the need for and importance of collective bargaining to improve wages and conditions for workers in the tech and IT sector, particularly for game workers, public sector employees and women.
“Improving pay and conditions for workers in the tech and IT sector through enterprise bargaining agreements at key tech and IT employers is a major focus for Professionals Australia in 2024.”
