As part of the inaugural Jobs & Skills Month, Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has released a new report that examines adult learning participation and demand, exploring what helps or prevents Australians from accessing learning and training throughout their working lives.
The Adult learner cohorts: Unpacking adult learning participation and demand report identifies four groups of adult learners: those whose demand for learning is met, partially met or unmet, and those with no demand for learning.
The findings highlight significant differences in access to learning across the population. Around 1.6 million Australian adults wanted to participate in learning that they did not undertake in 2024-25, with time, cost and caring responsibilities among the main barriers. Women, people with disability, and unemployed and underemployed people were more likely to experience unmet demand.
The report also finds that adult learning participation is declining, with 31% of adults aged 25-64 participating in formal study or work-related training in 2024-25, almost 10 percentage points lower than in 2013.
By identifying different learner groups and the barriers they face, the report provides a stronger basis for targeted approaches to lifelong learning. It also highlights the role of workplace conditions, with less secure employment, including casual work, associated with lower levels of work-related training.
The report forms part of JSA’s lifelong learning series, which explores how adult learning can help Australia respond to technological, demographic and structural change, supporting workforce participation, productivity, wages and equity.
