Plugging the gaps in Australia’s leaky tech talent pipeline

As a nation, we hear a lot about how Australia is actively pursuing its ambition to become a global leader in technology. But if we’re serious about building a world-class tech sector and culture here at home, we also need the talent pipeline to power it.

Last year, Tech Council of Australia research, Women in Highly Technical Occupations: The Leaky Pipeline, found that women make up just 20 per cent of Australia’s highly technical workforce – roles requiring specialist knowledge and skills such as software engineering, artificial intelligence (AI) research, mathematics, chemistry and physics. After age 40, that falls to 16 per cent, with women leaving these roles at twice the rate of men.

This tech gender gap isn’t unique to Australia. But we know the potential cost is immense. Diverse teams build better technology, particularly in fast-moving fields like AI, where decisions must be made quickly and responsibly. Without diversity in deeply technical roles, we end up with lost ideas, lost innovation and lost competitiveness at a time when the Australian Government is aiming to create 1.2 million tech jobs by 2030. 

I envisage an Australia where women, girls and people of all backgrounds are excited about deeply technical careers in technology. But I’ve also spent years leading technology teams and teaching in university programs, and while headline gender diversity numbers are improving, it’s clear that progress in deeply technical roles, such as platform engineering, advanced AI research, and cyber security attack and defence has lagged.

At CommBank, we realised that addressing this challenge will require more than ad hoc initiatives based on anecdotal evidence. What’s needed is a rigorous, evidence-based understanding of where and why women drop out of the technical pipeline – followed by targeted interventions across industry, government and academia that treat the actual pipeline leaks.

That’s why we partnered with the Tech Council to commission this research and help the industry identify actions to confront this issue head on.

Barriers of confidence, culture and opportunity

The Tech Council research identifies three major drop-off points for women in highly technical studies and careers.

• High school subject choices: In early education, girls perform just as well as boys in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects. By early high school, they are already 17 per cent less confident in their abilities. That confidence gap quickly becomes a participation gap as more girls opt out of advanced STEM subjects, often shaped by the cultural message that ‘tech is for boys’.
• Late high school and into university enrolments:  This is when many strong STEM performers decide technical pathways aren’t for them. Women are significantly underrepresented in technical degrees like engineering and computer science. To match leading countries like Sweden, Israel and the US, we found Australia would need to increase women’s enrolment in these degrees by 75 per cent.
• Mid-career: Here’s where the steepest drop-off occurs. Women leave highly technical roles after facing higher rates of workplace harassment, a lack of female role models and mentors and the challenges of returning to full-time work after having children.  

Finding solutions

The TCA report suggests targeted action at these drop-off points could triple the number of women entering highly technical roles – from 5,800 to more than 17,500 per year.

That scale of change isn’t just a matter of gender balance; it’s a competitiveness imperative. With over half of our highly technical workforce already drawn from skilled migration, and only a quarter of those migrants being women, unlocking domestic potential is essential for Australia’s long-term innovation capabilities.

The next phase of this research will be to work across the tech sector and corporate Australia to build coalitions and design interventions that are scalable and science backed.

So, what works?

• Building confidence at school: The research suggests the most powerful interventions are those that build real confidence – hands-on exposure to technical problem-solving, visible role models who show girls what’s possible and a deliberate effort to dismantle the cultural narrative that ‘tech isn’t for girls.’ That’s simply wrong, and the data proves it.
• Culturally reframing tech careers at the university transition point: Women are more likely to choose fields with strong social impact – yet we rarely spell out that technology, especially AI, has potential for improving lives, from diagnosing disease earlier to reducing inequality at scale. We need to tell that story more clearly, with universities and industry working in lockstep to make technical pathways more visible, purposeful and compelling.
• Countries outpacing Australia make this link explicit: Sweden’s industry–education partnerships and the US ecosystem of scholarships and mentorships both show that when women see technology as a way to change lives, participation rises.
• Engineering real impact: The programs delivering impact aren’t flashy innovation labs – they’re practical, people-centric efforts that connect experts directly with students or returning professionals. Our long running Sec.edu partnership with UNSW is one example: here, CommBank engineers spend time in the classroom showing students what real cybersecurity work looks like and helping them make informed decisions about their futures.

Fixing structural barriers

In the workforce, the industry must address the structural barriers that force women out, starting with zero tolerance for workplace harassment and exclusionary cultures. That also means deploying merit-based promotion models where being good at the work is what gets you ahead, not who you know or what someone thinks a ‘tech worker’ should look like.

When structural change is paired with programs that open real doors into technical careers, the impact is immediate. It’s why we’ve also invested in practical pathways that help women enter, stay in and return to technical roles. Our Engineering Graduate Program is now 50/50 women and men, while our Career Comeback program supports women returning to technical roles after time away, with mentoring and investment to rebuild confidence and capability.

Creating a stronger, more sustainable tech workforce

Australia’s ambition to lead globally in technology depends on enabling more women to enter the talent pipeline. Moving the needle will require industry, government, universities and communities to build solutions together – grounded in evidence and tested with rigour.

Another core ingredient is long-term commitment. While this is a challenge we can and must begin addressing now, many of the most effective interventions will take years, or decades, to fully take effect. What’s required is sustained investment and a willingness to experiment, learn and scale what works.

As AI and other technologies grow in importance, deeply technical roles are becoming some of the most valuable in the global economy. I believe they will be foundational to economic growth, human wellbeing and long-term prosperity.

If Australia wants to shape the future of AI – safely, responsibly and competitively – the work starts now, by building the pipeline that will power everything we hope to achieve.

Women in Highly Technical Occupations: The Leaky Pipeline, was led by the Tech Council of Australia and developed in partnership with CBA. Read the full report here.