Australia has invested billions in strengthening its digital economy and safeguarding critical infrastructure. Yet, the country faces a growing challenge: the global war for cyber talent. It’s no longer just about competing with the company down the street – Australian organisations are up against global giants with deep pockets, remote work opportunities and brand prestige.
The global pull of big tech
Tech professionals – cybersecurity engineers, for example – are highly mobile; remote and hybrid work has removed geographical boundaries, allowing an Australian-based engineer to take a contract with a US or European firm without ever leaving their home office.
For many, the lure of higher salaries, equity packages and access to cutting-edge projects is hard to resist. This creates a talent vacuum locally. While our universities produce strong graduates and the government invests in reskilling programs, many of our best and brightest are being snapped up by overseas organisations. At the same time, global shortages mean skilled migrants who once looked to Australia for opportunity are increasingly drawn elsewhere.
This is not just a business problem, it’s a national security risk.
Critical infrastructure, healthcare and government services all rely on having enough skilled cyber professionals to defend against increasingly sophisticated threats. If we cannot staff these roles, our resilience suffers.
For businesses, the impact shows up in rising recruitment costs, extended vacancies and burnout among the talent that remains. Cyber teams stretched thin can’t operate at their best, increasing the risk of oversight or misconfiguration.
Turning the tide
Australia can’t outspend Silicon Valley or London, but we can play to our strengths:
- Focus on purpose. Many tech professionals, particularly millennials and Gen Z, value meaningful work over pure financial incentives. Organisations that frame cyber roles as part of protecting people, communities and national resilience have a stronger story to tell.
- Invest in career pathways. Too often, cyber professionals feel stuck, either in deeply technical roles with no leadership opportunities or leadership roles that take them away from their technical skills. Clear, flexible career pathways will help retain talent that might otherwise look elsewhere.
- Promote diversity and inclusion. The global skills shortage won’t be solved by fishing in the same talent pool. Bringing in more women, career changers and professionals from non-traditional backgrounds expands capacity and brings fresh thinking.
- Build global partnerships. We can also win by becoming a hub for collaboration. If our organisations partner with international players rather than purely compete, we create knowledge-sharing ecosystems that benefit everyone.
The global war for cyber talent is real, and Australia is at risk of being outmatched if we treat it purely as a competition of dollars. By focusing on purpose, pathways, diversity and partnerships, we can offer something more valuable than a pay cheque – we can offer a chance to shape the future of cybersecurity here at home.
This article was originally published in Connector magazine, published by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA).
