James Limnios: Housing supply needed to capitalise on IT jobs boom
The recent announcement that ECU City in Northbridge will be home to Western Australia's first Apple Foundation Program when it opens in 2026 could be a major boon for the economic diversification of our minerals-based economy.
This announcement is very significant as the Apple Foundation Program is designed to produce the next generation of app developers, entrepreneurs, and digital innovators.
Overall, it is estimated that 1.8 million new tech workers will be needed in Australia by 2030, and skills such as scripting languages and software development principles will be in high demand.
This huge potential for this bonanza in IT jobs to transform the WA economy is further underlined by the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025.
This groundbreaking report surveyed more than 1,000 companies around the world — representing 22 industry clusters and more than 14 million workers — to take the pulse of the job market and uncover how organisations expect it to evolve between now and 2030.
According to the executives who were surveyed, the three fastest-growing jobs in percentage terms are big data specialists, fintech engineers, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning specialists. A huge 86 per cent of respondents to the survey expected AI and information processing technologies to transform their business by 2030.
It is for this precise reason that Saudi Arabia is making significant strides in AI investments, with a total of $14.9 billion announced at the LEAP 2025 conference, aiming to position the Kingdom as a global leader in digital innovation.
While the new Apple Foundation Program at ECU Central will be a critical building block in ensuring that WA shares in this global boom in IT jobs, we still need a smarter housing policy so we can fully capitalise on this expected boom and help diversify our economy.
The essential role housing will play in capturing this massive new jobs growth in sectors such as AI was confirmed during my recent business trip to Greece, where our company is a marketing partner in the massive Ellinikon urban renewal development in Athens.
My involvement in the Ellinikon project has been an amazing professional experience as the project has fully embraced the 'smart concept' and AI.
It has highlighted to me the rapid growth in IT, its mobility throughout the world and the housing requirements for this sector as well as the need for 'smart housing'.
The Ellinikon development is attracting very strong interest from IT professionals throughout the world who now have the freedom to live from virtually anywhere in the world because of our global digital economy.
They are attracted to living in the Ellinikon development because it will become one of the world's greatest urban villages due to outstanding planning and its location in a prime Athens location.
These IT specialists want to relocate to a safe family-oriented environment that offers an excellent lifestyle with lots of nearby facilities within walking distance.
Perth is equally well positioned to attract IT specialists from throughout the world because we tick many of the lifestyle requirements they are seeking, except for one major deficiency.
Unfortunately, we cannot compete in the type of housing they require.
This is because over recent years, the entire focus of our housing strategy has been to help solve our housing crisis through urban sprawl.
This has involved the fast-tracking of new housing developments in the outer Perth rim where there are few amenities and a strong sense of community.
The thousands of new houses that are being constructed in these urban fringe areas virtually all look the same, are boring and lack any genuine diversity that smartly designed new urban infill housing developments can now offer and what young IT professionals want.
Modern infill developments do not mean high-rise towers but an exciting mix of townhouses, boutique apartment complexes, and villas.
So, when WA has a historic opportunity to transition from a commodity-based State economy like Saudi Arabia into a society with a much broader economic base that includes a strong IT international sector, housing is once again our weakness.
That is why we need to work quickly to put together an action plan that will provide desperately needed infill developments in near city locations. This will allow Perth to take advantage of the massive economic benefits that will flow from the huge opportunities in the global IT sector.
To make this happen, housing and infill development have to become an integral part of our economic development and investment strategy at the State Government level as soon as possible.
The clock is ticking, and we don't have time to waste if we are not to miss out on this golden opportunity that the global IT sector can offer WA.
James Limnios is Managing Director of Limnios Property Group
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The recent announcement that ECU City in Northbridge will be home to Western Australia's first Apple Foundation Program when it opens in 2026 could be a major boon for the economic diversification of our minerals-based economy. This announcement is very significant as the Apple Foundation Program is designed to produce the next generation of app developers, entrepreneurs, and digital innovators. Overall, it is estimated that 1.8 million new tech workers will be needed in Australia by 2030, and skills such as scripting languages and software development principles will be in high demand. This huge potential for this bonanza in IT jobs to transform the WA economy is further underlined by the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025. This groundbreaking report surveyed more than 1,000 companies around the world — representing 22 industry clusters and more than 14 million workers — to take the pulse of the job market and uncover how organisations expect it to evolve between now and 2030. According to the executives who were surveyed, the three fastest-growing jobs in percentage terms are big data specialists, fintech engineers, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning specialists. A huge 86 per cent of respondents to the survey expected AI and information processing technologies to transform their business by 2030. It is for this precise reason that Saudi Arabia is making significant strides in AI investments, with a total of $14.9 billion announced at the LEAP 2025 conference, aiming to position the Kingdom as a global leader in digital innovation. While the new Apple Foundation Program at ECU Central will be a critical building block in ensuring that WA shares in this global boom in IT jobs, we still need a smarter housing policy so we can fully capitalise on this expected boom and help diversify our economy. The essential role housing will play in capturing this massive new jobs growth in sectors such as AI was confirmed during my recent business trip to Greece, where our company is a marketing partner in the massive Ellinikon urban renewal development in Athens. My involvement in the Ellinikon project has been an amazing professional experience as the project has fully embraced the 'smart concept' and AI. It has highlighted to me the rapid growth in IT, its mobility throughout the world and the housing requirements for this sector as well as the need for 'smart housing'. The Ellinikon development is attracting very strong interest from IT professionals throughout the world who now have the freedom to live from virtually anywhere in the world because of our global digital economy. They are attracted to living in the Ellinikon development because it will become one of the world's greatest urban villages due to outstanding planning and its location in a prime Athens location. These IT specialists want to relocate to a safe family-oriented environment that offers an excellent lifestyle with lots of nearby facilities within walking distance. Perth is equally well positioned to attract IT specialists from throughout the world because we tick many of the lifestyle requirements they are seeking, except for one major deficiency. Unfortunately, we cannot compete in the type of housing they require. This is because over recent years, the entire focus of our housing strategy has been to help solve our housing crisis through urban sprawl. This has involved the fast-tracking of new housing developments in the outer Perth rim where there are few amenities and a strong sense of community. The thousands of new houses that are being constructed in these urban fringe areas virtually all look the same, are boring and lack any genuine diversity that smartly designed new urban infill housing developments can now offer and what young IT professionals want. Modern infill developments do not mean high-rise towers but an exciting mix of townhouses, boutique apartment complexes, and villas. So, when WA has a historic opportunity to transition from a commodity-based State economy like Saudi Arabia into a society with a much broader economic base that includes a strong IT international sector, housing is once again our weakness. That is why we need to work quickly to put together an action plan that will provide desperately needed infill developments in near city locations. This will allow Perth to take advantage of the massive economic benefits that will flow from the huge opportunities in the global IT sector. To make this happen, housing and infill development have to become an integral part of our economic development and investment strategy at the State Government level as soon as possible. The clock is ticking, and we don't have time to waste if we are not to miss out on this golden opportunity that the global IT sector can offer WA. James Limnios is Managing Director of Limnios Property Group
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