Australia’s labour market conditions are robust, a new quarterly Labour Market Update report from Jobs and Skills Australia has found, with a strong increase in full-time employment and strong improvements for both the long-term unemployed and underemployed. However, the present skills gap in many parts of the labour market remains a big economic challenge, with the domestic skills system playing an important role in responding to this challenge.
The report, for the quarter ending December 2022, found that while many skills shortages persist, there has been growth in supply and a slight easing in recruitment difficulty and an increase in the likelihood of employers filling an advertised role.
Over the past year, around 36% of total employment growth has been in occupations where university qualifications are the primary pathway, while just over 60% of total employment has been in occupations where VET qualifications are the primary pathway.
While the overall employment picture is positive, the report shows that skill shortages persist, particularly in the engineering and medical areas, mostly in regional areas.
The report lists new data on the top 20 occupations in shortage nationally and for each state and territory. Topping the list are: Registered Nurses, Software and Applications Programmers, Aged and Disabled Carers, Child Carers, Construction Managers and Motor Mechanics.
For a number of these occupations, preliminary JSA analysis also highlights that the shortage is being driven by a lack of people with the right technical skills, where greater investment in training is required.
More information, including the top 20 occupations in shortage nationally, can be found at jobsandskills.gov.au/publications.
JSA is also hosting a webinar on the report and a JSA general update at 2pm on 6 March 2023. To find out more information and to register go to Webinar: Jobs and Skills Australia update | Jobs and Skills Australia.