In 2025, Australia’s job market will show solid growth along with some changes to job growth locations, skill requirements, and salary changes. According to Jobs and Skills Australia, the high position job growth will be in service-based and high skill positions, not in traditional manufacturing or low skill positions. Therefore, for job seekers, students, and professionals moving to Australia, jobs in the care sector, technology, and education will be the most lucrative in the coming years.
In which areas is job growth expected?
Recent studies show that most of the growth in employment over the most recent five year period will be in four service industries. The largest growth in employment is expected to be in Health Care and Social Assistance, with an expected growth of around 301,000 jobs. Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services is also expected to grow, with a demand for positions in financing, consulting, engineering, and corporate services expected to add 206,600 jobs. In demand for qualified teaching staff, Education and Training is expected to grow by 149,600 jobs. In hospitality, events, and customer service roles, Accommodation and Food Services is also expected to grow, by over 110,000 jobs.
In community and personal services, there is expected to be a rise of 13.5%, or 188,900, roles, and in Professional services of 14.7%, or 494,200 jobs. These are indicative of a clear preference in the job market for knowledge-based and people-oriented roles, such as those in nursing, IT, education and social work.
Key in-demand industries and roles
Aside from the headline figures, numerous specific professions recur in Australia’s 2026 outlook. With an ageing population and increased funding for home-care, employment for aged and disabled carers is predicted to rise by 28%. Hospitals, clinics, and aged-care facilities continue to have unmet staffing needs so registered nurses are anticipated to increase by 13.9%. In the case of software and applications programmers, an increase of roughly 27% is forecast, and an increase of 38.9% is expected in database and systems administrators and ICT-security specialists due to the increased demand for cloud services and cybersecurity, respectively.
Management and organisation analysts are expected to experience strong growth, as the workforce is expected to increase by more than 30% due to the investment of businesses in the optimisation and digital transformation of their processes. With the increase in primary and secondary school enrolment, there is also an increase in demand for educational roles, especially for early years and specialist school teachers.
| Occupation | Projected growth (2021–2026) | Approx. jobs added |
|---|---|---|
| Aged and disabled carers | +28.0% | ~74,900 |
| Registered nurses | +13.9% | ~40,400 |
| Software and applications programmers | +27.0% | ~42,200 |
| Database and systems administrators / ICT security specialists | +38.9% | ~29,100 |
| Management and organisation analysts | +32.2% | ~28,200 |
Salary growth and what it means for workers
Across these priority sectors, expected salary growth for 2026 is generally above the national average, especially for roles requiring a tertiary qualification or specialist certification. In healthcare, experienced registered nurses and aged-care nurses working in major cities can now expect annual packages in the mid-range six figures (excluding bonuses, overtime, and allowances) and in the six figures (with bonuses, overtime, and allowances). In technology, senior software developers and security roles in large firms and government agencies typically have a base salary above the all-occupation median, and total remuneration is complemented by bonuses and share-based remuneration.
However, wage growth is uneven. In the hospitality and retail sectors, labour-intensive, lower-skilled roles have typically experienced modest real wage increases, and many workers still rely on casual employment or part-time work to deal with the increasing costs of living. Skilled Trades (electricians, plumbing, and carpentry) have a growing demand, and workers in these areas are often family men with a gap in contract-rate earnings versus the high-cost housing and childcare. This illustrates Australia’s wage growth in 2026 is strongest for those with advanced education, specialist technical expertise, and significant experience in high-demand occupations.
Changing skill needs and career planning
Australian employment projections consistently show that over 90 percent of new jobs will require some types of postsecondary schooling (that is not just a university degree). These include diploma-level vocational courses, apprenticeships, and short-targeted courses in niche fields like cybersecurity, data analytics, and aged-care support. Job growth in STEM areas is projected to be 14.2 percent while non-STEM jobs will only grow by 7.4 percent. This highlights the importance of having technical and quantitative abilities.
For mid-career professionals and students, this creates a practical opportunity to establish a “core-plus-specialisation” profile. A healthcare support worker, for instance, could add a certificate in palliative care or telehealth, while a business graduate might include a cloud or data analytics certificate. It is also worth noting that employers are looking for the “four Cs” – care, computing, cognition, and communication – which means that soft skills like empathy, problem-solving, and effective communication are becoming just as important as the technical skills.
Positioning job-seekers in 2026
Job-seekers must take three practical steps to be successful in the 2026 Australian labour market. First, they must select a growing industry that best suits their strengths and lifestyle, including healthcare, education, technology, or skilled trades. Second, they must obtain industry-recognized qualifications or certifications, preferably those that are associated with funding priorities in their state or region. Third, having documented employment history, even in unpaid positions, is important because employers are more concerned with proven work/volunteer history than with traditional resumes.
Job locations play a large role in hiring practices in Australia. Regional areas are offering incentives and relocate support for healthcare and education workers residing in Sydney and Melbourne. During the pandemic, many job positions across professional service and IT practices restructured and offered hybrid or remote working opportunities. This new flexibility means many people will not have to go to the office. However, in job areas like healthcare, hospitality, and technical trades, employee presence on the job site is required. In Australia, the job economy is growing slowly, meaning workers will have to be deliberate about practicing new skills and have an understanding of where job opportunities are readily available. Employment in Australia is on the rise for 2026.
FAQs
Q1: What industries are expected to grow the most in Australia by 2026?
The industries expected to grow by the most in Australia by 2026 are Healthcare and Social Assistance, Education and Training, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services and Accommodation and Food Services.
Q2: Which positions are likely to have the highest salary in 2026?
Positions in management consulting, healthcare, and software development are likely to have the highest salary. These are especially true for those in large organizations in the city.
Q3: By 2026, will I need a university degree to get a good paying job in Australia?
There will be an even larger number of employment opportunities for people with vocational certificates, and for people who have completed an apprenticeship or specialized training in their area. These jobs will be found in the healthcare support, trades, and technology fields.
