Is my job a growing or shrinking occupation?

It depends on your occupation. Jobs and Skills Australia's Employment Projections forecast national employment across 358 occupations from May 2025 to May 2035. Total Australian employment is projected to grow 6.5% over 5 years and 13.3% over 10 years — some occupations (like Chiropractors and Osteopaths, projected +36.0%) are forecast to grow far faster than that; others (like Personal Assistants, projected −5.8%) are forecast to shrink. Search your occupation above to see its own 5-year and 10-year figures.

What does 'in national shortage' mean, and is it the same as growth?

No — they measure different things. Growth is a 10-year forecast of whether the occupation will employ more or fewer people. Shortage (from JSA's Occupation Shortage List) is a snapshot of whether employers are struggling to fill roles RIGHT NOW. An occupation can be growing but not short-staffed (plenty of new graduates entering), or shrinking but still hard to fill in the short term. This tool shows both signals separately, plus current online job vacancy trend, so you can see where they agree and where they don't.

How reliable are these employment projections?

They are Jobs and Skills Australia's official economic modelling (produced by Victoria University), not a guarantee. Projections can and do diverge from what actually happens — technology, policy changes, migration settings and economic shocks all move the numbers. Smaller occupations are more volatile because a few hundred jobs move the percentage a lot. Treat the figures as an informed forecast to factor into a decision, not a certainty.

Why don't all occupations show a shortage rating or vacancy trend?

The employment projections classify jobs using ANZSCO (358 occupation groups); JSA's Occupation Shortage List uses a different, finer classification called OSCA 2024. The two aren't a direct code match, so this tool joins them by occupation title — where no confident title match exists (about half of the 358 ANZSCO groups), it honestly shows 'no shortage data' rather than guessing. Vacancy data (from the Internet Vacancy Index) covers 351 of 358 occupations; the few gaps — Legislators, judicial roles, defence force ranks — are jobs that simply aren't advertised on job boards.

Is My Job Growing or Shrinking?

Check your occupation's 5 and 10-year employment growth forecast, national skill shortage status, and job vacancy trend — from three Jobs and Skills Australia datasets.

Last verified: 13 August 2026Jump to calculator ↓

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