The Hon Brendan O’Connor MP: New Data on Top 20 Occupations in Demand

A new quarterly Labour Market Update report from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) lists new data on the top 20 occupations in demand nationally.
 
Topping the list, is a diverse mix of occupations, including health care, digital, construction and engineering professionals, as well as traditional trades workers. (See the full table below).
 
The update shows Auditors, Company Secretaries, Corporate Treasurers, and Cooks are now no longer in the top 20 but are still in high demand.  While Advertising and Marketing Professionals, Data Base and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists are now in the top 20 list.
 
In regional areas skill shortages with high demand are concentrated in in the engineering and medical fields.
 
The report, for the quarter ending December 2022, found that Australia’s labour market conditions are robust with a strong increase in full-time employment and strong improvements for both the long-term unemployed and underemployed. But, it found many skills shortages persist.
 
For a number of these occupations in very high demand, preliminary JSA analysis highlights the shortage is being driven by a lack of people with the right technical skills.
 
Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP, said the report’s findings signal the vital role of further education to a healthy economy.
 
“The present skills gap in many parts of the labour market remains a big economic challenge, and the domestic skills system is playing an important role in responding to this challenge.”
 
“Both the Australian Government’s expanded Australian Apprenticeships Priority List, announced recently, and the fee-free TAFE and VET courses now available nationally, provide support for developing skills in these critical areas of shortage,” Minister O’Connor said.
 
Over the past year, around 36 per cent of total employment growth has been in occupations where university qualifications are the primary pathway, while just over 60 per cent of total employment has been in occupations where VET qualifications are the primary pathway.

Top 20 Occupations in demand nationally (Table 6, JSA Labour Market Update)

Notes: IVI data are October to December 2022 monthly average