Skills and Occupation Demand
Key Trends
Extended Vacancy Periods:
Skilled roles are taking longer to fill, directly impacting project timelines and business growth.
Rising Labour costs:
High competition is pushing wages upward, especially for in-demand roles.
Global Sourcing Required:
Local talent pools alone cannot meet demand, making international recruitment and skilled migration critical solutions.
Retention Challenges:
Skilled professionals are in strong negotiating positions, requiring employers to offer competitive conditions and career pathways.
Talent Way’s Advantage
At Talent Way, we help employers navigate these workforce challenges by:
- Recruiting across local & international markets to provide access to wider talent pools.
- Skilled migration assistance, ensuring employers can bring in qualified candidates for long-term workforce solutions.
- Specialisation in shortage occupations, with targeted recruitment strategies for IT, health, trades, engineering, and hospitality.
- Employer support, from workforce planning to compliance guidance, helping businesses stay competitive in attracting talent.
Skills Shortages & Occupation Demand – Key Insights
Persistent national shortages are affecting key sectors including:
- Healthcare: Registered nurses, aged care workers, mental health professionals.
- Engineering: Civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers.
- Construction & Trades: Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and project managers.
- Information & Communications Technology (ICT): Software developers, cybersecurity analysts, cloud engineers.
- Education & Early Childhood: Secondary teachers (STEM), early childhood educators, special needs teachers.
- Hospitality & Tourism: Chefs, cooks, hotel managers, and front-of-house staff.
- Agriculture: Machinery operators, livestock workers, and horticultural labourers.
- Top occupations on the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) align closely with long-standing gaps in regional and metropolitan areas.
- Emerging shortages are being seen in:
- Green economy roles (e.g. renewable energy technicians).
- AI, data science, and digital transformation roles.
- Logistics and warehousing, especially in regional supply chains.
- Contributing factors to shortages include:
- Ageing workforce and retirements.
- Decline in apprenticeships and vocational training uptake.
- Mismatch between graduate qualifications and job-ready skills.
- Regional Australia continues to face deeper shortages due to relocation reluctance and limited local training capacity.
- Global competition for talent is intensifying—countries like Canada, Ireland, and Singapore are also actively recruiting skilled migrants.
- Australian employers are increasingly open to overseas recruitment, recognising the need to bridge critical gaps via offshore candidates.
- Upskilling and migration reform are seen as key national solutions, with incentives emerging for training in priority sectors.
Registered Nurse
Australia:
Average earnings range between AU $80k to $105k depending on state and experience. Queensland and NT pay at the higher end.
UK:
NHS Bands 5–6 equate to about AU $56k–84k pre-tax.
Ireland:
Comparable to UK salary bands in AUD when converted.
Canada:
Median earnings approx. C$60,596 (~AU $64k).
Software Engineer / IT Roles
- Australia: Median around AU $98k per annum, with senior roles reaching ~AU $125k–250k as reported in broader sector studies.
- UK & Ireland: Salaries often in the AU $85k–95k range for mid- to senior‑level roles.
- Canada: Median ~C$80k (~AU $85k).
- South Korea & Thailand: Emerging tech markets; developer pay typically 40–50% of Australian levels.
Secondary School Teacher
- Australia: Most teachers earn between AU $100–105k per year; state variation exists: NT up to $131k, NSW ~$75–122k, Vic ~$73–111k.
- UK: Early-career to experienced teachers pay between £28k–67k (~AU $37k–66k).
- Ireland: Starting €36,953 (~AU $58k). Mid-career up to ~€50k+.
- Canada: Mean range C$60k–94k (~AU $64–100k), depending on province and level.
- South Korea & Thailand: Typically, at lower bands— AU $45–55k (Korea) and AU $30–40k (Thailand).
Construction & Trades (Electrician, Plumber, etc.)
- Australia: Median around AU $90k; in-demand roles may earn more, especially with overtime/regional allowances.
- UK & Ireland: Skilled trades typically earn AU $60k–75k in AUD conversions.
- Canada: Trades average C$70–80k (~AU $75–85k).
- South Korea & Thailand: Lower average, typically AU $30–50k depending on skill level.
- Australia remains highly competitive internationally for healthcare, IT, education, and trades roles.
- Canada often offers similar compensation in nursing, teaching, and trades.
- UK and Ireland tend to offer moderate earnings, with lower ceilings for education and nursing roles.
- Asia (South Korea, Thailand) generally offers lower salary bands, but cost-of-living differences in Thailand can help offset this.
- Sector dynamics: IT and tech roles show the largest salary growth in Australia, followed by trades and healthcare.