As COVID-19 has been reshaping the way we know the workforce to operate, I wanted to share what I have been seeing across the Canberra Infrastructure, Cloud & Security Market. 

Almost all workers are now set up and working remotely across and government and private sector services / vendors. The one exception to this is where a project is being deployed and must be deployed to enable the business to operate remotely and also within the more secure pockets of the defence/intelligence space. Not surprisingly infrastructure, cloud and security skills have been crucial in mobilising the workforce which has resulted in me seeing an increase in the demand to hire.

Speaking directly with a number of candidates, most people are generally open to discussion around their role/position. Some feel that contracting work may slow down and they will not be able to find their next gig as easily, and hence now are open to considering a permanent role. Permanent employees have also been looking to see how other companies have adapted to the current situation. The main questions/objections of candidates is how/what support processes have been put in place if they won’t be attending an “office” any more and also how the companies are expecting to be able to deliver onboarding/training as we move ahead.



With most organisations now working remotely, the uptake and usage of video conferencing and phone calls have been essential in moving forward. I have seen the best results around interviewing be through a video call as opposed to a phone call. Some organisations are doing a remote onboarding where there is screen sharing available to allow people the ability to ask questions and be comfortable before being expected to work on a new environment and system.