Publications

Construction profile industry insights

The Construction profile industry insights paper provides a snapshot of Australia’s construction industry, highlighting the workforce trends, skills needs and economic factors shaping its future. It explores: employment growth and future projections key occupations, vacancies and shortages workforce demographics, earnings and qualifications apprenticeship and training pipelines business activity, economic contribution and productivity. For more information, download the paper.

16 October 2026

Industries

Jobs and Skills Report 2026

Pathways to Success - Jobs and Skills Report 2026 Jobs and Skills Australia’s 2026 Jobs and Skills Report helps Australia better understand and prepare for changing workforce needs. As the definitive annual assessment of Australia's jobs and skills landscape, it brings together evidence on jobs, skills and workforce participation to support better decisions by governments, employers, education providers and individuals, and to help build a more productive, inclusive and resilient labour market.  Australia’s labour market is strong, providing a solid foundation for future change. Participation is around record highs and unemployment rate remained at or below 4.5% from December 2021 to July 2026, the longest period since the 1970s. The share of occupations facing skills shortages has fallen from 36% in 2023 to 29% in 2025 but almost 3 in 10 occupations remain in shortage. 33% of women and 27% of men work in occupations below their skill potential, highlighting a major opportunity to better use the skills Australia already has. References to critical thinking and problem-solving in construction trade job advertisements have more than tripled over the past decade, showing that employers increasingly need broader capabilities alongside technical trade skills. 

12 October 2026

Systems at work: Trends in adult learning and outcomes

The latest paper in Jobs and Skills Australia’s Lifelong Learning series, Systems at work: Trends in adult learning and outcomes, explores adult learning participation, performance and outcomes across Australia. It examines how learning can support employment, income growth and employee retention, while highlighting opportunities to improve access, strengthen learning outcomes and build a more coordinated approach to lifelong learning across systems. Key findings: Adult learning delivers positive outcomes, including improved employment, stronger income growth and greater employee retention. Unmet demand for learning remains high. Of all adults who wanted to participate or wanted to participate in more learning, 46% for VET, 40% for higher education and 24% for work-related training did not do so. Effective adult learning requires more than participation, with a focus on skill development and use, and tangible labour market outcomes. A coordinated approach across relevant systems can help improve learning pathways and outcomes.

6 October 2026

Fewer moves, bigger changes. Occupation mobility and learning across life stages

This report explores how occupation mobility is changing across different life stages and what this means for adult learning in Australia. While fewer Australians are changing occupations each year, those who do move are increasingly transitioning into higher-skilled roles and new fields of work. The findings highlight the importance of ongoing capability development, upskilling and reskilling throughout working life. Key findings: Fewer Australians are changing occupations each year, but occupation changes increasingly involve moves into higher-skilled roles and different fields of work. Cumulative capability development is important for workers who remain in the same occupation. Upskilling and reskilling are increasingly important for workers transitioning to new occupations and fields. The report builds on the Data on Occupation Mobility (DOM) dataset, adding key demographic variables - age, gender and geography - for the first time.

6 October 2026

Occupations Skills

Recent trends for displaced workers in Australia

The Recent trends for displaced workers in Australia - Changing profiles and outcomes for displaced workers from 2015 to 2025 report fills key evidence gaps by showing how worker displacement in Australia has changed over the past decade, who is most affected and which workers have stronger and weaker outcomes afterwards. This stocktake of displacement will help policymakers and industry better target supports and monitor future trends. Key findings include: Worker displacement declined between 2015 and 2025, alongside a strengthening labour market. Displacement became less concentrated in mining, manufacturing and construction and has shifted towards professional and managerial occupations. Major metropolitan areas accounted for a growing share of displacement but these larger labour markets offer broader re-employment and career transition opportunities Post-displacement outcomes have improved but remain uneven and earnings losses persist. Insolvency-related displacement is increasing and exposing potential gaps in protection What is a ‘displaced worker’? A displaced worker is someone who loses their job involuntarily generally due to negative economic events, stress or adjustment. This may happen because a business closes, there is no longer enough work, or due to technological changes. It does not include people who choose to leave a job for personal or career reasons, such as wanting a change, taking on caring responsibilities, retiring or being dissatisfied with the work. These transitions are part of a healthier dynamic labour market. For more detailed information, download the full report and explore some of the data used in Parts 2 and 3 of the report on occupational displacement rates and outcomes in the spreadsheets.

29 September 2026

International Labour Market Update - August 2026

The International Labour Market Update provides labour market data and information for Australia and selected overseas countries and country groups. The August 2026 edition shows: Labour market conditions are weakening across OECD economies, with unemployment rates rising, employment growth slowing and labour shortages continuing to ease. Global economic growth is expected to slow in 2026, including across emerging and developing economies, according to projections from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Growth in labour force participation is expected to decline across OECD countries, reflecting changing labour market conditions and participation trends. For more insights, download the full report. 

4 September 2026

Labour Market

National Skills Agreement Outcomes Framework Balanced Scorecard Baseline Report

Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has released the National Skills Agreement Outcomes Framework Balanced Scorecard Baseline Report, the first report of its kind for Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system. The Balanced Scorecard establishes a nationally consistent approach to measuring the VET system performance against outcomes agreed under the National Skills Agreement (NSA). It provides governments, industry and the community with a shared, evidence-based view of how Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system is performing across a range of population and system outcomes. The Balanced Scorecard provides a baseline picture of system performance, assessing outcomes across key areas of the VET system, including: productivity and workforce outcomes labour supply and skills shortages industry, employer and student needs responsive and high-quality training delivery outcomes for priority cohorts, including First Nations learners wellbeing, inclusion and resilience collaborative and sustainable system stewardship. The baseline report combines national data, stakeholder perspectives and expert analysis to provide a shared evidence base for Australian governments, industry, training providers and the community. It supports a stronger focus on accountability, transparency and continuous improvement across the VET sector. For more information and insights, download the full report.

28 August 2026

Skills

Small business, self-employment and the economic cycle

Small businesses and self-employment play an important role in Australia’s economy, with non-employing businesses making up around 62% of all businesses.  This paper explores how self-employment responds to changing economic conditions, including how some people start businesses to pursue new opportunities during periods of growth, while others turn to self-employment when paid work is harder to find.  Understanding these different pathways can help inform policy settings that support more resilient, sustainable and productive small businesses.

20 August 2026

Australian Labour Market for Migrants - July 2026

The Australian Labour Market for Migrants report provides information on Australian labour market conditions. It is intended to inform people interested in working in Australia on a temporary or permanent basis, and to organisations providing services to all migrants and visa applicants. The Australian economy and labour market remain resilient, although there are signs of a further softening in labour market. The report also notes that several factors influence migrant unemployment rates such as skill level, age, English language proficiency, recent and relevant work experience. The Hot Topic analyses the labour market contribution of the Temporary Graduate Visa (TGV) program. Findings include: Majority of TGV holders were employed in occupations requiring a Bachelor or higher qualification (38.6%), particularly in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. TGV holders contribute to the workforce available to Australian businesses operating in many industries including finance, retail, hospitality, and information and communications technology. For more information, download the full report. 

14 August 2026

Migration Labour Market

Purple cover with text - Measuring Employer Investments in Learning

Measuring Employer Investment in Learning

Jobs and Skills Australia has released a new Insights paper on the important role employers play in supporting lifelong learning and workforce capability. The paper explores how employer investment in learning can: help workers develop skills throughout their careers support a more productive and adaptable workforce create more opportunities for people to apply and grow their skills at work. As technology, demographic change and shifts in the economy reshape Australia’s labour market, employer-supported learning is becoming increasingly important. The paper finds that work-related learning is often: supported by employers delivered during work hours made up of formal, unaccredited and informal learning. It also shows that quality, relevance and practical application matter more than the amount of training delivered. The paper also identifies opportunities to strengthen the evidence base on employer investment in learning, helping to support future policy development and ongoing monitoring of Australia’s skills system. For more information, download the full paper. 

14 August 2026

Skills Training