Australia faces worker shortages despite qualified underemployed permanent migrants, ABS data shows
New Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows Australia is grappling with over 330,000 unfulfilled jobs, concentrated in health, engineering, construction and public services, even as many qualified permanent migrants remain unable to work at their full skill level.
The ABS figures show the biggest gaps are in:
- Health Care and Social Assistance: 59,600 vacancies
- Professional, Scientific and Technical Services: 33,600 vacancies
- Construction: 18,100 vacancies
- Education and Training vacancies: 13,600 vacancies
Violet Roumeliotis, Activate Australia’s Skills spokesperson and CEO of campaign convener SSI, said the figures reflect deep, chronic workforce shortages communities have been experiencing for a long time.
“These figures aren’t short term blips, they’re structural gaps that are holding back our productivity and our economic growth. This isn’t an abstract skills debate. It’s the reason why hospitals are short-staffed, businesses are cutting hours, and essential services are slowing down.”
Ms Roumeliotis said many of these shortages could be eased by making overseas skills recognition faster, fairer and more affordable so more qualified migrans can work at their full potential, delivering immediate productivity gains for the economy.
“Our costly and confusing skills recognition system is slowing down the workforce Australians rely on every day.
“Everyone loses when qualified and experienced professionals are held back from working in their fields and contributing fully to our country.
“When shortages are this widespread, it’s more important than ever to harness every skilled worker and that’s why reforming the skills recognition system is so critical.”
Ms Roumeliotis pointed to the analysis in the Productivity Fast Track report released late last year, showing that enabling qualified migrants in Australia to work in their professions would significantly reduce shortages in critical services and industries, adding up to:
- 50,080 accountants
- 47,315 engineers
- 20,590 teachers
- 16,430 nurses
- 8,710 aged care workers
- 5,040 psychologists
“This is about common sense. On the one hand we have chronic skills shortages in almost every industry and, on the other, we have qualified workers already here with the skills we desperately need.
“Tacking the unnecessary barriers to skills recognition while maintaining our existing high standards is crucial to fill skill gaps and improve services for everyone.
“With critical workforce shortages across the country, wasting skilled workers is a loss our economy can’t afford.”
The Activate Australia’s Skills campaign, backed by more than 130 organisations, is calling for four practical solutions to reform skills recognition and boost national productivity:
- Establish one national governance system for all overseas skills and qualifications recognition, including an Ombudsman or Commissioner with regulatory power to provide independent oversight and transparency.
- Create a more joined-up system that links skills recognition for migration purposes with licensing and accreditation for employment purposes.
- Provide financial support for individuals to remove cost barriers and an online portal with all the information so people know what they need to do.
- Set up Migrant Employment Pathway Hubs, or career gateways, with skills recognition navigators to get qualified people working in their professions again.