Healthcare tech employment grows – report

Technology employment has continued to grow in industries including healthcare despite Australia’s overall technology workforce recording its first decline in the history of the ACS Australia’s Digital Pulse report.

The 2026 report, produced by Deloitte Access Economics for the Australian Computer Society, estimates Australia had 967,000 technology workers in 2025, down 0.3 per cent on the previous year.

However, employment increased in ICT management and operations and ICT technical and professional roles, while demand was stronger outside the technology sector.

The report says technology employment grew by 2.1 per cent across industries including construction, mining and health care.

Healthcare is also making substantial use of digital skills across its broader workforce, the report noted.

Deloitte’s analysis estimates 22 per cent of wages in the health care and social assistance sector were associated with time spent on digital tasks in 2025. The report says around one-fifth of labour value in healthcare and several other industries is now enabled by digital skills.

Across the Australian economy, digital skills were valued at $476 billion in 2025, based on the time employees spend carrying out digital tasks and the wages associated with that work.

Health technologies were also identified as one of Australia’s potential high-growth technology export areas, alongside software, fintech, AI and cybersecurity. Technology exports exceeded $12 billion in FY2025, up 13 per cent on the previous year.

The report also points to the growing effect of AI on professional work, saying doctors and other professionals will increasingly need to use AI in ways that meet professional standards and support trusted decision-making.

It says workers will need skills to critically assess AI outputs, recognise bias and misinformation and use the technology safely and ethically.

Deloitte Access Economics forecasts Australia will need another 259,000 technology workers by 2035, with technology employment expected to grow at close to twice the rate of the overall workforce.