demand list australia occupation skilled occupations
Australia’s Most Wanted: The Most In Demand Jobs for Skilled Migration ToAustralia 2020-2021 (Updated)## We reveal the top 50 occupations on the Skilled Occupation Shortage Listthat give you the best chance of getting a PR visa invitation for migrating toAustraliaGetting a skilled migration visa for Australia has never been morechallenging. The number of visas issued has been reduced, processing times areslower and UK migrants are facing increasing competition from countries suchas India and China. Add to that the disruption from the coronavirus epidemicand it may seem an insurmountable challenge.However, thousands of people do successfully migrate from the UK to Australiaevery year and there are still many places available for people with the rightskills. So your dream of starting a new life down under is still veryachievable – especially if your experience is needed.We have compiled an updated list of the top 50 jobs most in demand formigrants in Australia for 2020-2021, based on the recently released OccupationCeilings for the Skilled Migration Shortage List.We have also added a section to include the occupations on the newPriority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL) can apply for a visaand request an exemption from Australia’s travel restrictions during thecoronavirus epidemic.### Moving to Australia for workThere has always been an attraction for non-Australian residents looking towork there. A lot of that has to do with the lifestyle, the salary and,obviously, the stunning weather. Australia has always had a clear and fairpolicy on immigration and welcomes migrant workers, so if you are planning amove down under and meet the criteria, you’ll feel more than accepted.Whilst international travel is currently suspended to Australia, many migrantsand job seekers are beginning the application process now in preparation forwhen the borders re-open – likely sometime in 2021.In fact, there are thousands of migrant workers who try to apply for a workingvisa in Australia every year. The best way you can secure employment and awork-based visa is through the Australian Skilled Migration program. Thisapplies to the occupations listed in the Skilled Occupations List (SOL) –essentially Australia’s job shortage list.The list is updated regularly by the DoHA and there are at present over 200occupations on there. This list governs the job shortage areas where migrantskilled workers are most sought after in the country, so you can see if yourskills are in demand in the Land of Oz.Although there are a high number of UK migrant workers in the country, it’simportant to remember that the job shortage list is not just for the UK, butfor all over the world. Before we go any further and discuss some of theoccupations and industries where there is the most demand for migrant workers,it may be worth explaining what is exactly meant by the term ‘occupationceilings’, as it’s likely to be unfamiliar to many.### What are Occupation Ceilings?There is a restriction on the amount of Expression of Interest (EOI) orinvites that will be issued by the Australian Government for a particularoccupation group. This is what is referred to as the occupation ceilings.They are basically set to make sure there’s not just a small number ofdifferent occupations making up the biggest percentage of the program forskilled migrant workers. Once the cited limit has been met, there will be noadditional invitations for the occupation group in question until the nextyear.It means that even the lower ranking occupation groups will be able to offerprospective migrants an invitation to work in the country. As the occupationceilings have been released for 2020-2021, you may be curious to know whichjobs are most in demand in Australia for migrant workers.Although the list below shows the top 50 occupations in terms of volume ofinvitations, other highly skilled jobs may have less applicants so you stillcould have a good chance.## The Top 50 Jobs Most In Demand for Migrants in Australia 2020-2021##### Rank|##### Job Category|##### Occupation ID|##### Occupation Ceiling 2020-21|##### Change From 2019 —|—|—|—|— 1 | Registered Nurses | 2544 | 17,859 | 350 2 | Secondary School Teachers | 2414 | 8,716 | 664 3 | Software and Applications Programmers | 2613 | 8,405 | -343 4 | Electricians | 3411 | 8,021 | -603 5 | Construction Managers | 1331 | 7,145 | 2,162 6 | Carpenters and Joiners | 3312 | 6,812 | -1,724 7 | Metal Fitters and Machinists | 3232 | 6,335 | -672 8 | Plumbers | 3341 | 5,861 | 801 9 | Motor Mechanics | 3212 | 5,205 | -1,194 10 | University Lecturers and Tutors | 2421 | 5,042 | 1,635 11 | Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers | 3223 | 4,866 | 883 12 | Solicitors | 2713 | 4,535 | -115 13 | Management consultants | 2247 | 4,526 | -743 14 | General Practitioners and Resident Medical officers | 2531 | 4,257 | 707 15 | Other Specialist Managers | 1399 | 4,188 | 1,144 16 | Civil Engineering Professionals | 2332 | 3,919 | 147 17 | Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teachers | 2411 | 3,321 | 1,027 18 | Painting Trades Workers | 3322 | 3,303 | -27 19 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 2335 | 2,682 | 1,082 20 | Database and Systems Administrators and ICT Security Specialists | 2621 |2,667 | -220 21 | ICT Business and Systems Analysts | 2611 | 2,273 | -314 22 | Chefs | 3513 | 2,256 | -482 23 | Computer Network Professionals | 2631 | 2,245 | -308 24 | Electronics Trades Workers | 3423 | 2,047 | 734 25 | Social Workers | 2725 | 1,862 | -266 26 | Special Education Teachers | 2415 | 1,721 | 610 27 | Bricklayers and Stonemasons | 3311 | 1,712 | 102 28 | Cabinetmakers | 3941 | 1,694 | -418 29 | Physiotherapists | 2525 | 1,685 | -99 30 | Health and Welfare Services Managers | 1342 | 1,666 | -119 31 | Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers | 2212 | 1,619 |67 32 | Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics | 3421 | 1,581 | -270 33 | Psychologists | 2723 | 1,545 | -287 34 | Medical Laboratory Scientists | 2346 | 1,536 | 31 35 | Engineering Managers | 1332 | 1,474 | 474 36 | Occupational Therapists | 2524 | 1,461 | 379 37 | Architects and Landscape Architects | 2321 | 1,452 | -719 38 | Plasterers | 3332 | 1,452 | -648 39 | Electrical Engineers | 2333 | 1,348 | 348 40 | Midwives | 2541 | 1,333 | 115 41 | Environmental Scientists | 2343 | 1,295 | -177 42 | Sports Coaches, Instructors and Officials | 4523 | 1,262 | -2,809 43 | Animal Attendants and Trainers | 3611 | 1,239 | 188 44 | Other Medical Practitioners | 2539 | 1,168 | -82 45 | Medical Imaging Professionals | 2512 | 1,161 | -42 46 | Other Natural and Physical Science Professionals | 2349 | 1,056 | 56 47 | Accountants | 2211 | 1,000 | -1,746 48 | Wall and Floor Tilers | 3334 | 1,000 | -682 49 | Artistic Directors, and Media Producers and Presenters | 2121 | 1,000 |-98 50 | Actors, Dancers and Other Entertainers | 2111 | 1,000 | 0 As you can see, there is a wide range of jobs covering every sector you canimagine so, if you are planning your move to Australia in the next year or so,there’s really no limit to the types of professions being accepted – and ofcourse these change year to year.Even with the reduction in numbers from 2019 (probably due to the coronavirusepidemic), there are still many places and occupations available. Australianeeds to kick start their economy and return to economic growth. Many expertsbelieve that inviting migrants to fill skill shortages is one of the best waysto do this.If you have a certain qualification that is not in demand, then with a top upor booster course you could change your skill level and become eligible toapply for one of the jobs on the list.For example, if you are a primary school teacher in the UK, you may be able toaccess a Train to Teach course which will provide you with the neededQualified Teacher Status to teach secondary school children, a high demandoccupation.Now we’ve looked at the full list for 2020-2021, we’ll run down the top 10jobs in demand down under and see how you could be setting up your new life inAustralia via one of these access routes.## New Critical Skills for Covid-19 Recovery on the Priority Migration SkilledOccupation ListOn September 2nd, the Australian Government announced a new critical skillslist of job roles urgently needed to help the country recover from Covid-19.People who have these skills, in the medical, IT and construction sectors, canfast track their visa application and can also apply for travel restrictionsexemption to enter Australia. This overcomes the biggest barrier for migrantsduring the coronavirus epeidemic.The 17 occupations (ANZSCO code) on the The Priority Migration SkilledOccupation List (PMSOL) are: * Chief Executive or Managing Director (111111) * Construction Project Manager (133111) * Mechanical Engineer (233512) * General Practitioner (253111) * Resident Medical Officer (253112) * Psychiatrist (253411) * Medical Practitioner nec (253999) * Midwife (254111) * Registered Nurse (Aged Care) (254412) * Registered Nurse (Critical Care and Emergency) (254415) * Registered Nurse (Medical) (254418) * Registered Nurse (Mental Health) (254422) * Registered Nurse (Perioperative) (254423) * Registered Nurses nec (254499) * Developer Programmer (261312) * Software Engineer (261313) * Maintenance Planner (312911)## The Top Occupations In Demand in Australia 2020-2021##### Nurses and Medical StaffThere are a lot of different factors that come into play and mean thatAustralia is a suitable destination for any registered nurse or other medicalstaff looking for somewhere to move to and work. Due to it being a growingindustry coupled with the fact that there are quite a number of nurses andmedical employees who will be reaching retirement age soon, there is anincreased demand for nurses, giving high occupational ceilings for roles inthis sector.The health care industry overall has had the biggest increase and growth in 5years, and this is expected to continue through to 2022. The occupations inthis industry that are the most in demand are registered nurses, disabled andaged carers, personal care workers, receptionists and nursing support.##### Software Programmer and ITThere is currently a growing and critical need within the tech industry forsoftware developers of various abilities, such as those experienced in userexperience, mobile and back-end design, front end and full stack developers.In fact, according to a report from last year, 9 of the most advertised jobsout of a list of 15 were for UI/UE designers, software engineers anddevelopers.##### Trades and ConstructionGiven that the construction industry always has a demand, especially fortechnicians and trade workers such as electricians, carpenters, joiners andplumbers, it’s not surprising that these rank so highly on the most in demandlist of professions. There has also been a demand for non-skilled labourerstoo. So, if you are experienced in this kind of work, you will have an easiertime getting work.##### TeachersAlthough in the past there was a huge demand for migrant primary schoolteachers in Australia, that has changed in recent years. There are stilloptions for migrants looking to work in teaching though, particularly insecondary schools in more regional parts of the country. That is why it stillranks so highly in the occupational ceilings list.It is even the case that many qualified teachers from Australia need to go outto the regional parts of the country for their first employer. Within thisgroup, the least in demand is undoubtedly inner city female primary schoolteachers.##### White Collar Management/ProfessionalsJust as is the case with software developers, there is a growing demand forvarious white-collar management and professional positions. Including thelikes of those involved in marketing, advertising and accounting. Therefore,if you have experience and qualifications in these kinds of positions, you arelikely to find it easier landing a job.Migration has always favoured skilled workers in Australia, so if you have amanagement or professional role or skill involved in this area, you are ingood standing for employment.##### Automotive and Engineering Trades WorkersMotor mechanics are in demand all across Australia and if you are in aspecialist area such as automotive electrician, automatic transmissionmechanic, automotive air-conditioning mechanic or brake mechanic, even better.This category also includes other trades such as metal machinists, sheet metalworkers, panel beaters, welders, fitters and metal fabricators, althoughdemand for particular specialisations varies across different Australianstates.##### EngineersAlthough it may not feature as highly in the list of the industry andprofessions with the most demand for migrant workers, there is still hugedemand for skilled and qualified engineers of all kinds.This includes mechanical, industrial, electronics, transport and electricalengineers.##### FarmersWhilst, like many Western countries, Australia has a demand for temporary farmlabourers to help with mundane tasks such as crop picking, there are also manyopportunities for more highly skilled agricultural workers.No matter whether you’re a dairy or mixed crop farmer you’ll find farming onan unimaginable scale in Australia with good salaries to match.However, this year the number of livestock farmers on the list has been cutfrom 5934 in 2019 to 0. It is in fact the only job category to be removed fromthe list so we are wondering whether it is an administrative error as farmersand agricultural workers are still needed in Australia.## Other occupations on the skilled migration list 2020-2021In total there are over 200 occupations listed on the Skilled Migration list,including some specialist jobs with low ceilings where you may still have agood chance of being accepted if you have the right specialist skills andthere are fewer people applying.Here is a list of some such occupations:##### Job Category|##### Occupation ID|##### Occupation Ceiling 2020-21|##### Change From 2019 —|—|—|— Actuaries, Mathematicians and Statisticians | 2241 | 1,000 | 0 Agricultural and Forestry Scientists | 2341 | 1,000 | 0 Automotive Electricians | 3211 | 1,000 | 0 Barristers | 2711 | 1,000 | 0 Boat Builders and Shipwrights | 3991 | 1,000 | 0 Cartographers and Surveyors | 2322 | 1,000 | 0 Chemical and Materials Engineers | 2331 | 1,000 | 0 Chemists, and Food and Wine Scientists | 2342 | 1,000 | 0 Child Care Centre Managers | 1341 | 1,000 | 0 Chiropractors and Osteopaths | 2521 | 1,000 | 0 Civil Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians | 3122 | 1,000 | 0 Economists | 2243 | 1,000 | 0 Electrical Distribution Trades Workers | 3422 | 1,000 | 0 Electrical Engineering Draftspersons and Technicians | 3123 | 1,000 | 0 Electronics Engineers | 2334 | 1,000 | 0 Geologists, Geophysicists and Hydrogeologists | 2344 | 1,000 | 0 Glaziers | 3331 | 1,000 | 0 Internal Medicine Specialists | 2533 | 1,000 | 0 Land Economists and Valuers | 2245 | 1,000 | 0 Life Scientists | 2345 | 1,000 | 0 Mining Engineers | 2336 | 1,000 | 0 Multimedia Specialists and Web Developers | 2612 | 1,000 | 0 Music Professionals | 2112 | 1,000 | 0 Optometrists and Orthoptists | 2514 | 1,000 | 0 Other Engineering Professionals | 2339 | 1,000 | 0 Other Health Diagnostic and Promotion Professionals | 2519 | 1,000 | 0 Panelbeaters | 3241 | 1,000 | 0 Podiatrists | 2526 | 1,000 | 0 Precision Metal Trades Workers | 3233 | 1,000 | 0 Psychiatrists | 2534 | 1,000 | 0 Sheetmetal Trades Workers | 3222 | 1,000 | 0 Speech Professionals and Audiologists | 2527 | 1,000 | 0 Sportspersons | 4524 | 1,000 | 0 Surgeons | 2535 | 1,000 | 0 Telecommunications Engineering Professionals | 2633 | 1,000 | 0 Telecommunications Technical Specialists | 3132 | 1,000 | 0 Veterinarians | 2347 | 1,000 | 0 #### Occupations with increased demand in 2021Despite the coronavirus and challenging economic outlook, some occupationshave actually increased in demand.As you might expect these include a lot of medical and health workers, butalso teachers and many job categories in the construction industry.##### Rank|##### Job Category|##### Occupation ID|##### Occupation Ceiling 2020-21|##### Increase From 2019 —|—|—|—|— 1 | Construction Managers | 1331 | 7,145 | 2,162 2 | University Lecturers and Tutors | 2421 | 5,042 | 1,635 3 | Other Specialist Managers | 1399 | 4,188 | 1,144 4 | Industrial, Mechanical and Production Engineers | 2335 | 2,682 | 1,082 5 | Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teachers | 2411 | 3,321 | 1,027 6 | Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers | 3223 | 4,866 | 883 7 | Plumbers | 3341 | 5,861 | 801 8 | Electronics Trades Workers | 3423 | 2,047 | 734 9 | General Practitioners and Resident Medical officers | 2531 | 4,257 | 707 10 | Secondary School Teachers | 2414 | 8,716 | 664 11 | Special Education Teachers | 2415 | 1,721 | 610 12 | Engineering Managers | 1332 | 1,474 | 474 13 | Occupational Therapists | 2524 | 1,461 | 379 14 | Registered Nurses | 2544 | 17,859 | 350 15 | Electrical Engineers | 2333 | 1,348 | 348 16 | Animal Attendants and Trainers | 3611 | 1,239 | 188 17 | Civil Engineering Professionals | 2332 | 3,919 | 147 18 | Midwives | 2541 | 1,333 | 115 19 | Bricklayers and Stonemasons | 3311 | 1,712 | 102 20 | Auditors, Company Secretaries and Corporate Treasurers | 2212 | 1,619 |67 21 | Other Natural and Physical Science Professionals | 2349 | 1,056 | 56 22 | Medical Laboratory Scientists | 2346 | 1,536 | 31 #### Occupations with decreased demand in 2021Naturally with the current recession and highest unemloyment in a generation,many job categories have seen reduced demand for 2021.However, on the bright side they are still in demand and you only need onejob, so if you have any of these skills and dream of starting a new life inAustralia, then it is well worth applying.Below are the top 20 occupations with most reduced demand in 2020-2021compared to 2019.##### Rank|##### Job Category|##### Occupation ID|##### Occupation Ceiling 2020-2021|##### Change From 2019 —|—|—|—|— 1 | Livestock Farmers | 1213 | 0 | -5,934 2 | Sports Coaches, Instructors and Officials | 4523 | 1,262 | -2,809 3 | Accountants | 2211 | 1,000 | -1,746 4 | Carpenters and Joiners | 3312 | 6,812 | -1,724 5 | Motor Mechanics | 3212 | 5,205 | -1,194 6 | Management consultants | 2247 | 4,526 | -743 7 | Architects and Landscape Architects | 2321 | 1,452 | -719 8 | Wall and Floor Tilers | 3334 | 1,000 | -682 9 | Metal Fitters and Machinists | 3232 | 6,335 | -672 10 | Plasterers | 3332 | 1,452 | -648 11 | Electricians | 3411 | 8,021 | -603 12 | Chefs | 3513 | 2,256 | -482 13 | Cabinetmakers | 3941 | 1,694 | -418 14 | Software and Applications Programmers | 2613 | 8,405 | -343 15 | ICT Business and Systems Analysts | 2611 | 2,273 | -314 16 | Computer Network Professionals | 2631 | 2,245 | -308 17 | Psychologists | 2723 | 1,545 | -287 18 | Airconditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics | 3421 | 1,581 | -270 19 | Social Workers | 2725 | 1,862 | -266 20 | Database and Systems Administrators and ICT Security Specialists | 2621 |2,667 | -220 #### How to get a visa if your occupation is not on the listBefore you submit your Expression of Interest form it is very important thatyou do your research and seek advice from experts. Our article on How to makea successful EOI application on Skillselect will help you get started. It alsoprovides contact details for reliable registered MARA visa agents.Don’t despair if your role is not on the most wanted list or if you don’treceive an invitation.These occupation ceilings do not apply to State or Territory Nominated,Employer Sponsored or Business Innovation and Investment visa subclasses. Sodon’t panic if your job is not on the list – there may be other optionsavailable.The best route to getting a visa is being sponsored by an employer. TheEmployer Nomination Scheme visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated bytheir employer, live and work in Australia permanently. If you have a joboffer it greatly increases your chances of success.Once you’ve got your job offer you can find out more about moving to Australiaand shipping your belongings too.But we, at PSS International Removals, are in touch with a number of employersand recruiters actively looking to find skilled workers in the UK looking tomove either to Australia or elsewhere in the world.If you would like us to put you in touch, then complete this form on ourwebsite detailing your skills and requirements. We will then forward yourdetails in confidence and we take no payment for this service.