Occupational Shortage List released for 2025

Jobs and Skills Australia has released the annual Occupation Shortage List (OSL), for 2025. According to this year’s list, 29% of occupations were in national shortage, down from a peak of 36% in 2023.

The OSL identifies which occupations are in shortage and where, providing information to inform government decision making and support. It includes occupations at Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) levels 1 to 4 (previously the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations or ANZSCO). As the purpose of the OSL is to inform government decisions about education and training incentives and skilled migration pathways, Skill Level 5 occupations are not includes as they generally do not require significant post-school education and training.

For the 2026 list, JSA will seek input on:

• The number of advertised vacancies, applicants and vacant positions filled for an occupation.
• Where and why employers are having difficulty filling positions, including information on current and likely future demand, and current and future labour supply constraints.
• New sources of reliable labour market data that you may be aware of.

Below, Skills Insight has identified all the occupations relevant to the industries we support and the relevant OSL rating for 2025. To ensure the next list accurately reflects the realities of your industry, we invite you to share current workforce insights, evidence and data with us at​ ​[email protected]