Occupation Shortage Report

The Occupation Shortage Report (OSR) offers analysis on occupation shortage pressures using data from Jobs and Skills Australia’s Survey of Employers who Recently Advertised.

Insights in the OSR complement occupation shortage discussions in Jobs and Skills Australia’s the Key Findings Report that accompanies the annual Occupation Shortage List and quarterly Labour Market Update.

Occupation Shortage Report - June 2025

The Occupation Shortage Report offers analysis on possible shortage pressures in the labour market. Some highlights this quarter: The national vacancy fill rate rose to 70.6%, showing employers are filling jobs more easily. Both metropolitan (72.2%) and regional (65.8%) fill rates improved, narrowing the gap between city and country. Fill rates for Skill Level 3 occupations (55.1%) remain well below other skill levels, despite some improvement over the year. A new Mismatch Index (MI) highlights uneven distribution of applicants and vacancies across occupations. In 2024–25, 30% of applicants would need to switch occupations for a balanced market, down from 33% in 2023–24. Professionals account for more than one-third of the mismatch. A better balance could be achieved if some applicants shifted from Clerical and Administrative roles to Community and Personal Service work. For more insights, download the full report.

September 15, 2025

Occupation Shortage Report - March 2025

The Occupation Shortage Report offers analysis on occupations potentially experiencing shortage pressures. Some highlights this quarter: The national fill rate rose by 1.1 percentage points to 69.7%, signalling reduced difficulty in filling roles. Applicant numbers per vacancy were steady over the quarter but were much higher than a year ago. Metro (71.6%) and regional (64.3%) fill rates improved, but metro areas continue to outperform regional areas. While improving, Skill Level 3 occupations remain hard to fill, with a fill rate of just 55.5%, well below other skill levels. A new Labour Supply Index measures whether unit groups are oversupplied, undersupplied or balanced with job applicants. Health professionals dominate the most undersupplied unit groups. For more insights, download the full report. See the Occupation Shortage Analysis page for more information about our ongoing work, including methodology and other downloads.

June 12, 2025

Occupation Shortage Report - December 2024

The Occupation Shortage Report offers analysis on occupations experiencing shortage pressures. Some highlights this quarter: Occupation shortages across Australia are showing signs of easing, with a slight improvement in job vacancy fill rates the national job vacancy fill rate rose by 0.8 percentage points in December quarter to 68.9% the metropolitan fill rate reached 70.6%, well above the 63.5% in regional areas. For more insights, download the full report. See the Occupation Shortage Analysis page for more information about our ongoing work, including methodology and other downloads.

February 25, 2025

Occupations

Occupation Shortage Report – September 2024

The Occupation Shortage Report offers analysis on occupations experiencing shortage pressures. Highlights from the September report: The national fill rate increased 2.0 percentage points to 68.1%. Fill rates in metropolitan areas (69.7%) remain well above that of regional areas (62.9%). Fill rate for Skill Level 3 occupations remained very low at 53.9%. Occupations with the highest suitability gaps include very high skilled occupations related to finance, science roles, design, engineering and ICT. Larger businesses tend to be more selective, leading to higher suitability gaps, while smaller businesses attract fewer applicants on average, may have more flexible requirements, resulting in smaller suitability gaps. For more insights, download the full report. See the Occupation Shortage Analysis page for more information about our ongoing work, including methodology and other downloads.

November 28, 2024

Occupations Skills

Occupation Shortage Report – June 2024

The Occupation Shortage Report offers analysis on occupations experiencing shortage pressures. Some highlights from the June report: Fill rates increased 1.7 percentage points to 66.2%. Metropolitan fill rates are above the rates for regional areas. Fill rates for Skill Level 3 occupations rose above 50% for the first time since September quarter 2021. Technicians and Trades Workers rates are at 51.9%, the lowest of all major groups. From 2014-23, Managers and Professionals have had above average and increased hourly earnings over time. Download the full report for more insights.The Occupation Shortage Report (OSR) (formerly the Skills Shortage Quarterly report*) offers analysis on occupation shortage pressures using data from Jobs and Skills Australia’s Survey of Employers who Recently Advertised. *The Skills Priority List will also be re-named the Occupation Shortage List. The next release and more information are coming soon. See the Occupation Shortage Analysis page for more information about our ongoing work, including methodology and other downloads.

August 19, 2024

Occupations Skills

Purple Cover - Skills Shortage Quarterly December 2023

Skills Shortage Quarterly – March 2024

The Skills Shortage Quarterly report offers analysis on occupations experiencing shortage pressures. Some highlights from the March report: The national level fill rate increased to 64.3%, rising by 0.9 percentage points in March quarter 2024 and by 4.2 percentage points in the 12 months to the current quarter.  Fill rates in metropolitan areas (66.7%) remain well above that of regional areas (59.4%), with the average difference in the fill rate between the two areas widening over time.  There are acute shortage pressures in the Technician and Trades Workers major occupation group, with fill rates remaining low. A spotlight on the recruitment challenges of small businesses. 

May 29, 2024

Skills

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