The Workforce Plan describes workforce challenges and skill opportunities identified by stakeholders across the industries we work with and outlines strategies to address them.
The Draft 2024 Workforce Plan is being updated to reflect stakeholder feedback before being submitted to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).
The 2024 Workforce Plan outlines four key Workforce Planning Priorities to guide the strategies and planning of our JSC work. These priorities retain the strategic intent of those in the Initial Workforce Plan, but have been modified to align with the Australia Government’s White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities. The priorities are referenced throughout the document where they apply to specific issues relating to industry, data, strategies, and stakeholders. They also underpin current and proposed activities that address the supply of and demand for jobs and skills within Skills Insight’s coverage.
Industry Sectors Scans have also been produced for thirteen industry groupings that have similar jobs and skills profiles. Each scan provides industry updates, showcases significant workforce statistics, and outlines key jobs and skills challenges and opportunities.
Thank you to all those stakeholders that provided feedback on this draft or on your industry skills needs more broadly. Your real-word insights are crucial, so that we can work together to develop skills and training strategies and solutions.
The document is being updated to consider all feedback, ready to be be submitted to Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) at the end of April.
Feedback was collected on the consultation draft from 11 – 25 April 2024, via the online feedback hub, email and phone.
Workforce planning is a continual JSC process. Your comments are encouraged at any time and will inform the next edition of the Workforce Plan.
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Industry snapshots
Previous Workforce Plans
Workforce planning is a continual JSC process. This 2024 edition builds on the Initial Workforce Plan, to include stakeholder feedback and newly released data, including from the Australian Government White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities and Skills Priority List occupations. It also considers significant industry events or trends that have emerged and key issues that may be the subject of further research/activities.
What is a Workforce Plan?
The Workforce Plan is a key part of Skills Insight’s work and paves the way for DEWR’s approval of projects to address skill issues.
The Workforce Plan provides insight into skills gaps and labour shortages, assessing whether training and skills are meeting industry demand. It outlines current and emerging issues impacting workforce supply and demand, providing insight into the needs of industries of all sizes, including small and niche industries, and jurisdictional variations.
While the focus of JSCs is on Vocational Education and Training (VET), the Workforce Plan is not limited to VET and skills related challenges and solutions. JSCs take a broader approach to the skills system, considering all barriers to meeting the ambitions of a skilled workforce including consideration of pathways from VET for Secondary Schools to VET, and between VET and higher education.
Workforce planning is one of the four key functions of a JSC. It is crucial to establishing the context and strategy for the three other functions: training product development; implementation, promotion and monitoring; and industry stewardship. The Workforce Plan reports on data, engagement, feedback and intelligence uncovered through all JSC functions and will undergo continual development in response to ongoing activities.
The Workforce Plan also informs two other important documents: