Government projections have identified 10 jobs that will be in demand in the next five years. This provides an opportunity for students that are considering what career to enter and what program they’ll study.

The top 10 occupations the Australian government considers there will be critical shortages for are:

• Age and Disability carers
• Chefs
• Childcare Workers
• Civil Engineering professionals
• Construction Managers
• Early childhood Teachers
• Electricians
• ICT Business and Systems Analysts
• Nurses
• Software and Applications Programmers

The Australian National Skills Commission (NSC) has responsibility for regularly reviewing the national skills needs for Australia and producing a Skills Priority List.

The Skills Priority List provides a current labour market rating and a future demand rating for occupations nationally.

The evidence supporting the development of this list includes labour market data analysis, employer surveys, stakeholder consultation with industry bodies and federal and state/territory government agencies.

Current occupations that Australia currently has a skills shortage for and predicted strong future demand for are:

Business: Accountant & Quantity Surveyor

Engineering & IT: Civil Engineer; Electrical Engineer; ICT Security Specialist; Mechanical Engineer & Software Engineer

Health: Nurse & Sonographer

Welfare: Aged Carer; Child Care Worker; Disability Carer

Other: Veterinarian

Occupations that are predicted to have strong future demand for:

Arts & Humanities: Architect; Counsellor; Graphic Designer; Industrial Designer; Interior Designer; Journalist; Landscape Architect; Social Worker; Teacher & Welfare Worker

Business & Law: Actuary; Advertising Manager; Economist; Finance Manager; Human Resource Manager; Public Relations Manager; Sales and Marketing Manager & Solicitor

Engineering & IT: Aeronautical Engineer; Biomedical Engineer; Chemical Engineer; Electronics Engineer; Telecommunications Engineer & Web Designer

Environment: Environmental Manager

Health: Dentist; Dietitian; Laboratory Manager; Medical Laboratory Technician; Medical Specialist; Nurse & Paramedic

Science: Chemist

Other: Pilot

In addition, there is current demand for these occupations in Australia as shown by SEEK vacancies. The following professions have a high number of vacancies in Australia:

Arts & Humanities: Architect >10,000 vacancies; Counsellor >12,000; Graphic Designer >17,000; Industrial Designer >2,000; Social Worker >16,000; Teacher >19,000 vacancies

Business & Law: Advertising Manager >5,000; Finance Manager >11,000; Human Resource Manager >6,000; Public Relations Manager >3,000; Sales and Marketing Manager >9,000 vacancies

Engineering & IT: Engineer >35,000; Web Designer >3,000 vacancies

Environment: Environmental Manager >2,000 vacancies

Health: Dentist >3,000; Nurse >21,000 vacancies

This information is very important when students are considering what career to choose for their future and in turn what degree programs they need to study to enable them into that career. This also applies to International students, particularly if they’re intending on staying on in Australia after their studies to access the post study work visa and get valuable work experience.

If you’d like some career advice or need help in choosing which program to study please contact us at Study in Australia TV for professional advice.