Insights from the Tech Reflects Survey at TechDiversity Awards 2025

Each year at the TechDiversity Awards, the room goes silent when we turn the spotlight on ourselves. This year’s Tech Reflects survey revealed fascinating insights about our community of DEI champions – and the results paint a picture of an incredibly diverse group leading change across Australia’s technology landscape.

A Global Community with Local Impact

From 278 respondents at the Awards ( over 50% of the audience), we discovered an extraordinary level of diversity that speaks to the global nature of Australia’s tech sector:

Geographic Diversity:

• 43 different countries of birth represented
• 57 cultural groups and 96 ancestries
• 96 languages and dialects spoken
• 60% of Australian-born participants had at least one foreign-born parent

Interestingly, while women outnumbered men in most countries represented, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Italy were the only countries with more male than female respondents.

Language Landscape

English dominated the language skills, but Hindi emerged as the second most common language for advanced proficiency, followed by German, Greek, and Spanish. French was actually the second highest language when including basic proficiency levels. As Quincy Hall humorously noted, “No Klingon or Dothraki speakers this year, which was a bit disappointing!”

Identity Priorities: What Really Matters

One of the most revealing aspects of the survey explored what aspects of cultural or social identity matter most to different groups:
For Women:

• Country of birth (most important)
• Gender (second highest priority)
• Appearance also ranked highly

For Men:

• Interests and hobbies (reflecting work-life balance priorities common in Western countries)
• Politics (ranked 5th)
• Gender ranked a distant 17th

Age Factor:

For those over 60, age becomes a top-3 identity priority, while it barely registers for younger participants.

LGBTQ+ Representation and Identity

The survey revealed significant LGBTQ+ representation, with sexuality being the second highest identity priority for non-heterosexual participants, but ranking 20th for heterosexual respondents. The community showed:

• 7.5% identifying as bisexual
• 8% of total respondents from various LGBTQ+ identities
• Strong correlation between gender identity importance and sexual orientation

Neurodiversity and Disability

• 32% of participants reported having a long-term condition, with neurodivergence being the most commonly selected – a pattern that tracks with the broader tech industry globally. Mental health ranked second, followed by chronic health conditions.
• 12.4% identified as having a disability, and for these individuals, disability was often their most important identity priority.

Cultural Belonging vs Ancestry

The survey distinguished between ancestry and cultural belonging, revealing interesting patterns:

• Ancestry: Australian, English, Irish, Indian, and Anglo-Australian dominated
• Cultural Belonging: A more diverse picture emerged, with Aboriginal Australians ranking eighth most common – a positive sign of cultural connection and allyship
  This difference highlights how cultural impact and belonging extend beyond traditional ancestry lines.

Organisational Confidence and Challenges

The survey revealed mixed confidence levels about diversity progress:

• 78% believe their organisation’s workforce is sufficiently diverse (though this could reflect varying standards)
• Only 50% are confident that Australian business and government efforts will fill the tech skills gap
• 91% agree that DEI is a good thing (unsurprisingly strong support in this community)

The Political Reality Check

Addressing current global tensions,

• 43% agreed that the backlash against DEI has negatively affected their organisation’s DEI ambitions – a significant finding that reflects real-world challenges facing the diversity movement. However, one respondent’s comment gave us hope: “We have embedded DEI. This will not change with government or US politics. Well done!”

What This Means for Australia’s Tech Future?
These findings reveal a community that doesn’t just talk about diversity – it embodies it. From neurodivergent professionals bringing unique perspectives to multilingual teams bridging global markets, the data shows why diverse teams aren’t just morally right – they’re competitively essential.

The identity priority differences between groups also highlight why one-size-fits-all DEI approaches often fail. Understanding what matters most to different communities is crucial for creating truly inclusive workplaces.

Join the National Study Here

This Awards night snapshot is just the beginning. The Tech Reflects study is building a comprehensive picture of Australia’s tech workforce diversity, and we need YOUR voice to make it complete. Start Now  – it’s annoymous and takes less than three minutes. 

Why Participate?

• Help shape policies that address real workforce challenges
• Contribute to research that influences industry standards
• Be part of the largest diversity study in Australian tech workforces
• Takes just 2 minutes to complete

Your participation matters. Whether you’re a tech professional, leader, student, or career changer, your experience adds to our understanding of how to build a more inclusive industry.

The survey remains open for participation – because the more voices we hear, the clearer picture we can paint of where we are and where we need to go.

Ready to add your voice?
About Tech Reflects: Part of TechDiversity Foundation’s research pillar, Tech Reflects is a national study examining diversity across Australia’s technology workforce. The findings inform education programmes, policy recommendations, and industry best practices.

Special thanks to Quincy Hall for presenting these insights with characteristic humour and to Nicole, their data scientist, for the brilliant analysis.