2024 occupation shortage list: key findings and insights report

The Occupation Shortage List (OSL) is released annually using data from Jobs and Skills Australia's Survey of Employers who Recently Advertised. It acts as a point-in-time assessment of the labour market and provides a detailed view of occupations in shortage in Australian and by each state and territory. The OSL covers over 900 occupations, defined in the 2022 Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) at the occupation level. Only ANZSCO Skill Levels 1 to 4 are included in the OSL because of their links to tertiary education and training. The OSL online tool has undergone a number of updates to optimise accessibility and user experience. A metropolitan shortage rating has been added, giving a clearer picture of shortages nationally and across, regions and states/territories. There is also now a skill level filter to help find relevant occupations more easily.

The Occupation Shortage Report (OSR) (formerly the Skills Shortage Quarterly report) provides an overview of the 2024 OSL results. The report also presents additional analyses to assist with the interpretation of the 2024 OSL results and reveals important insights related to occupation shortages in the labour market. Jobs and Skills Australia uses the following definition of occupation shortages: an occupation is in shortage when employers are unable to fill or have considerable difficulty filling vacancies for an occupation or cannot meet significant specialised skill needs within that occupation, at current levels of remuneration and conditions of employment and in reasonably accessible locations. The Occupation Shortage Drivers classify shortages into four main drivers based on the likeliest cause of shortage. The four categories are: (1) long training gap; (2) short training gap; (3) suitability gap; and (4) retention gap.

This current report provides a high level overview of results from the 2024 OSL focusing on the themes that emerged during its production. Some highlights from the June report are that: (1) fill rates increased 1.7 percentage points to 66.2 per cent; (2) metropolitan fill rates are above the rates for regional areas; (3) fill rates for Skill Level 3 occupations rose above 50 per cent for the first time since September quarter 2021; (4) Technicians and Trades Workers rates are at 51.9 per cent, the lowest of all major groups; and (5) from 2014-23, Managers and Professionals have had above average and increased hourly earnings over time.

More specifically, the latest results show that 33 per cent of occupations (303 out of 916) are currently in national shortage, a decrease from the 36 per cent reported in 2023, reflecting overall labour market softening. This year, the top 5 employing occupations in shortage are Aged or Disabled Carers, Primary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Truck Drivers and Electricians. The data also revealed that gender-skewed occupations, where men or women make up at least 80 per cent of the workforce, are more likely to experience shortages. By contrast, more balanced workforces, those with at least 20 per cent representation of both genders, tend to avoid shortages, suggesting that increasing diversity could alleviate labour market pressures. Analysis also suggested that age-inclusiveness in employment particularly in an ageing population may help alleviate shortages. Only 19 per cent of occupations were in shortage where at least 30 per cent of their workforce had mature aged workers compared to 44 per cent of occupations in shortage, where the workforce share of older workers was below 10 per cent. In addition, 73 per cent of employers continued to advertise positions in the same places despite facing unfilled vacancies over the course of a year and only 1 per cent adjusted pay. This may point to employers seeking non-renumeration recruitment strategies first to attract talented workers.

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