Digital, cyber skills needed in manufacturing in shortage

It used to be that hair dressers and chefs dominated Australia’s list of most wanted skills – but not any more.

Manufacturing and industry skills are among those most in shortage according to a new quarterly Labour Market Update report from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA).

Topping the list of the top 20 occupations in demand as measured by job advertisements, are occupations in digital, construction and engineering professionals, as well as traditional trades workers. (See the full table below).

Coming into the top 20 are Advertising and Marketing Professionals, Data Base and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists.

While missing from the top 20 list are Auditors, Company Secretaries, Corporate Treasurers, and Cooks, though they are still in high demand.

In regional areas skill shortages with high demand are concentrated in in the engineering and medical fields.

For a number of high demand occupations, preliminary JSA analysis highlights the shortage is being driven by a lack of people with the right technical skills.

Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor said the report’s findings signal the vital role of further education to a healthy economy.

O’Connor said: “The present skills gap in many parts of the labour market remains a big economic challenge, and the domestic skills system is playing an important role in responding to this challenge.

“Both the Australian Government’s expanded Australian Apprenticeships Priority List, announced recently, and the fee-free TAFE and VET courses now available nationally, provide support for developing skills in these critical areas of shortage.”

Top 20 occupations in shortage: