Following on from last week’s blog on the current Australian job market, let’s look at the shortages within the professions first up. Regardless of current job market conditions, the demand for accountants is outstripping supply on a local, national and global level. The shortage of accountants in Australia is reaching critical level. There is a continuing gap between the supply of domestic accounting graduates and employer demand in Australia. There is also an acute skills shortage in the design professions. These professions include engineers, quantity surveyors, planners, landscape architects. Finally, there is a critical shortfall in professional engineers. Engineers Australia chief executive Peter Taylor states that there is an estimated shortfall of more than 20,000 professional engineers to meet current demand in Australia. Australian universities continue to produce fewer than 6,000 graduates each year. Herein lies a further skills shortage as Taylor asserts that there are not enough teachers with tertiary qualifications in mathematics or science to enable the engineering students to get enthused about and qualified for engineering tertiary studies. Hence, a lack of qualified teachers in these areas.
Let’s now look at the skills shortage across the board. Many Australian industries are suffering from a shortage of skilled workers, from automotive and electrical trades to IT and finance. The following is a list of skill shortage areas:
Aged Care
Automotive Electrician
Automotive Vehicle Body – Panel Beater
Automotive Vehicle Body – Vehicle Painter
Automotive Vehicle Body – Vehicle Trimmer Carpenter
Baker/Pastry Chef
Chef/Cook
Children’s Services
Civil Engineering
Community Services
Engineering – Fabrication
Electrical Engineer
Electrician (including electrical wiring)
Electronics
Engineering Tradesperson – Mechanical
Fire Protection
Financial Services
Hairdresser
Information Technology
Electrotechnology Instrumentation Tradesperson
Joiner
Light Vehicle Motor Mechanic
Nurse
Plumber
Refrigeration & Air Conditioning
Wall & Floor Tiling
Regardless of current economic conditions (both nationally and internationally), these skill areas are expected to remain a priority in the future. If you’re looking for a career change, this may be an opportune time to consider it and do some research. Remember, it’s never too late. Here’s a perfect example, in the 1990s I was dealing with an Accountant who was working full time in the profession and in his late 40s. He revealed to me that the following year he would only be working in a part time capacity in order to pursue further studies in medicine. How’s that for a career change!
Cheers,
Annie Cerone