Data wizard exodus potentially harmful to WA economy
The state economy is potentially being hurt by an exodus of skilled data science graduates over east and overseas but one of WA’s biggest companies is offering a big orange carrot to make them stay.
As organisations and businesses use data to hone their activities, the demand for data scientists, who digest complex data and regurgitate solutions to problems, is on the rise.
Bankwest data science graduates Jonathon Kok, Brayden Calzada, Tim Howat and Jack McDonald.
A 2018 whitepaper from the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia said ever-rising data scienctist salaries were evidence of a skills shortage.
The shortage is biting WA in particular, which a Bankwest executive suggested was due to the readiness of data science graduates to work outside of the state.
“For too long, highly-skilled and capable STEM grads have picked up their degrees from university, packed their bags and jumped on a plane out of Perth, taking their skills and abilities with them,” Bankwest executive general manager of customer solutions and insights Pieter Vorsters said.
“To lose those kind of skills to Sydney and Melbourne or overseas cities is not good for Perth, the state’s economy or the business community.”
To combat the exodus Bankwest - one of the biggest IT employers in WA - on Monday launched its first-ever data science intern and graduate programs to build the state's data science community.
Two masters students secured internships while four graduates started a two year graduate program.
Jonathan Kok, 26, is one of those graduates.
He originally studied microbiology but after spending some time in that field decided to retrain in computer and data science and work in WA.
“I wanted to just go into IT in general. I was planning to do a degree in computer science and I saw data science was a unit recently added at UWA so chose it as a second major,” Mr Kok said.
“I found it pretty interesting.”
After finishing his degree, Mr Kok said there were some WA-based jobs but most people he spoke to told him that job outcomes on the east coast were far better.
“It’s not like I wanted to fly over east ... if I had to it would have been out of necessity,” he said.
“I was hoping to look for a job in WA and stay local.”
WA has a lot to gain by expanding the data science community, including less reliance on traditional industries, Mr Vorster said.
“There’s an opportunity in front of us for WA to become an exporter not just of minerals and agri products, but also of technological solutions, innovative products and game-changing ideas,” he said.
“It’s agreed that Perth’s big enough to support a meaningful tech, innovation and data science community and infrastructure, but small enough to nurture the industry better than would be the case in other larger, more fragmented cities."
Australian data science education institute executive director Linda McIver said the public needed to educate themselves about data science so the use of data can be better managed in the future.
“We're barely even aware it's happening, and we're certainly not in a position to debate the rules and ethics around what's ok and what's not,” she said.
Hamish Hastie is WAtoday's business reporter.