Jobs & Skills Australia’s 2025 Occupation Shortage List (OSL), summarised in a practitioner briefing on 25 October 2025, shows that 29 per cent of assessed occupations remain in national shortage—only a slight improvement from 33 per cent in 2024. Healthcare, construction trades, teaching and early-childhood education continue to top the critical-needs chart despite easing overall vacancy rates.
The findings will underpin the Core Skills Occupation List used for the new Skills-in-Demand visa and inform state nomination priorities. Employers can leverage OSL data to justify sponsorships and labour-agreement requests, while unions are pressing for stronger training incentives to reduce long-term dependence on migration.
One notable insight is that roles with higher female, mature-age or First Nations participation recorded lower shortage rates, prompting policymakers to frame diversity initiatives as a workforce-resilience strategy rather than purely an equity goal. The report also flags experience gaps: even where graduate numbers are rising, employers struggle to secure mid-career professionals.
Migration advisers expect the OSL to drive demand for employer-sponsored visas in nursing, allied health, carpentry and secondary STEM teaching. Regional employers, in particular, are urged to consider Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA) aligned with the shortage data to fast-track overseas hires.
Combined with the Skilled Visa reforms that went live the same day, the refreshed OSL gives businesses a clear roadmap: use data to target sponsorships, embed diversity, and plan for retention if domestic pipelines lag.
The findings will underpin the Core Skills Occupation List used for the new Skills-in-Demand visa and inform state nomination priorities. Employers can leverage OSL data to justify sponsorships and labour-agreement requests, while unions are pressing for stronger training incentives to reduce long-term dependence on migration.
One notable insight is that roles with higher female, mature-age or First Nations participation recorded lower shortage rates, prompting policymakers to frame diversity initiatives as a workforce-resilience strategy rather than purely an equity goal. The report also flags experience gaps: even where graduate numbers are rising, employers struggle to secure mid-career professionals.
Migration advisers expect the OSL to drive demand for employer-sponsored visas in nursing, allied health, carpentry and secondary STEM teaching. Regional employers, in particular, are urged to consider Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMA) aligned with the shortage data to fast-track overseas hires.
Combined with the Skilled Visa reforms that went live the same day, the refreshed OSL gives businesses a clear roadmap: use data to target sponsorships, embed diversity, and plan for retention if domestic pipelines lag.
