The Australian Defence Force has launched a new pay structure and framework aimed at better competing with the private sector for cybersecurity talent and ensuring these workers can stay “on the tools”.

The Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal last week approved the ADF’s request for a transition to a skills-based pay structure for its cyber warfare specialists and officers, meaning they will be paid based on their knowledge, abilities and skills rather than job title, rank or seniority.

This will help Defence to offer pay rates more competitive with the private sector, and to allow its cyber workers to progress and gain higher salaries while remaining in technical and operation roles.

Keeping cyber workers on the tools

ADF Chief of Joint Capabilities Lieutenant General Susan Coyle said this will better address “retention and the development of deep technical skills required in the cyber domain”.

“Cyber warfare specialists and cyber warfare officers are core to the conduct of cyberspace operations that detect and defeat cyberspace attacks against Defence networks and systems,” Coyle said.

“The need for Defence to attract and retain its share of an in-demand and growing workforce in Australia requires a new, multifaceted approach to cyber warfare employment.

“This will also open up new opportunities for those interested in Reserve roles and mid-career entry, where people who wish to serve their nation can leverage their industry experience.”

All Defence cyber workers are currently paid through the Graded Officer Pay Structure and Grade Other Ranks Pay Structure.

In its submission to the tribunal, ADF said that “traditional workforce management techniques must be adapted given the competition for cybersecurity talent”, with the 2024 Defence Cyber Security Strategy flagging “innovative approaches to talent management and professional development to strengthen the workforce pipeline and develop future leaders”.

Competing with the private sector

ADF said it is facing “strong competition” with industry to attract cyber workers, and that there are currently “frustrations that career progression policy and the current pay structure do not adequately acknowledge the technical skill sets” of these workers.

The change will allow cyber workers to remain in operation roles without their pay progression being impacted.

“The employment market for cyber workers is competitive, and in order to deliver on strategic recruitment and retention targets, the ADF must provide an employee value proposition attractive to workers who will excel in a cyber warfare employment category,” the tribunal heard.

The federal government has been looking to boost the cybersecurity abilities within Defence for several years.

The former Coalition government in 2022 handed the Australian Signals Directorate $10 billion over 10 years to triple its offensive cyber capabilities, double its persistent cyber hunt activities, and hire nearly 2,000 people.

In mid-2023 Air Marshal Darren Goldie was appointed as Australia’s first National Cyber Security Coordinator, working mainly on managing incident response at a national level.

In early 2023 a review of the ADF called for a significant boost in its cyber defence capabilities, with three key areas of focus: delivering a “coherent” and “centralised” cyber capability development and management function; building and maintaining the ADF’s cyber workforce; and integrating the defence and management of ADF’s command networks and architectures.

But ADF is facing a significant skills gap and high levels of competition for cyber workers among the public and private sectors.

According to the Australian Computer Society’s 2024 Digital Pulse report, companies around the country are struggling to find tech workers with the right cybersecurity skills.

The report pointed to the potential of 1.1 million “near-tech” workers with similar capabilities who may be able to reskill to fill this gap.

The report found that the demand for cybersecurity skills in the workforce has jumped by 80 per cent in Australia since 2020.

The tech workforce in general now includes more than 1 million people, but a further 300,000 people are needed by 2030 to meet “current business demand”, equating to about 52,000 new workers annually, Digital Pulse revealed.