The number of skilled occupations experiencing labour shortages in Australia has nearly doubled from 2021 to 2022, says data from the National Skills Commission. In its 2022 Skills Priority List Key Finding Report, the Commission revealed that 286 occupations were dealing with shortages at a national level, compared to 153 occupations in 2021.
The report also showed that the number of jobs advertised in Australia had spiked by 42 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021. A total of 309,900 jobs were advertised in August 2022.
According to SBS News, Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor said that “the staggering jump in occupations listed reinforces the urgent need to tackle skills shortages.”
Here’s what you need to know about the news.
Read more: What is General Skilled Migration and State Nomination?
@insiderguides These figures show an 87% increase in the number of occupations dealing with shortages in Australia 📈 #skilledmigration #australia #internationalstudentnews #fyp ♬ Taste It – Ikson
What are the most in-demand jobs?
While several industries are managing shortages, there are certain roles experiencing them most severely. As shown in the table below, some of the jobs with the highest number of vacancies include registered nurses; software and applications programmers; and aged and disabled carers, among others.
In particular, the shortage in Health Professional roles increased by 47 percentage points in 2022. This was the most significant shortage increase of any sub major group in the report.
Additionally, very few vacancies were filled in the Technicians and Trades Workers occupation group over the last year. Specifically, nearly half (47 per cent) of jobs in this category were in shortage in 2022.
What does this mean for visa opportunities?
More occupations on the Skills Priority List means more people across a wider range of disciplines will have the ability to apply for skilled migration visas*, such as the Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482) visa.
“Programs such as the 482 temporary skill visa are of growing importance to businesses as they struggle to find workers locally,” said Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group.
*Important note: While the number of occupations on the Skills Priority List has increased, this does not necessarily mean you are more likely to successfully obtain a visa.
More Skilled Migration updates
Check out our article below for more information on the Skilled Migration Program for 2022-23 in your state or territory:
