From Job Ads to Insight: 2026 Workforce Strategy
A data-driven look at Australia's hardest-to-fill roles, pressure industries, and where international recruitment can help shape the 2026 workforce strategy.
Addressing Australia's Skills Shortage
Data-Driven Insights
Australia's skills shortage is often discussed but rarely supported by detailed data. This report bridges that gap.
Key Focus Areas
We identify roles, industries, and locations with the highest hiring pressure and how patterns are evolving.
Strategic Recruitment
Highlights where international recruitment, especially from the Philippines, can ease shortages in 2026.
About the Dataset: Unpacking the Data
Time Period
April 23, 2025, to November 19, 2025.
Volume
124,731 unique job advertisements analyzed.
Source
Ads from major Australian online job platforms, using 100 ANZSCO-based keywords.
Methodology
AI-supported scraping and classification, refined manually.
Note: The dataset excludes January-March and December, so seasonality findings relate only to the April-November window.
Demand by Role and Industry: 2025 Snapshot
This section reveals actual hiring trends, focusing on the top 10 roles overall and top 10 trade roles, showing where demand truly clusters.
Top 10 Job Roles Advertised
Demand is spread across many roles, with a visible cluster around project/engineering and mechanical/metal trades. Employers need both planners and skilled hands-on workers.
Frontline Skills: Top 10 Trade Roles
Focusing on frontline skills, mechanical trades, fitters, boilermakers, welders, electricians, and riggers dominate the list. These roles are crucial for keeping various industries operational.
These are the essential personnel who maintain workshops, factories, mine sites, construction sites, and transport fleets daily.
Australia's Hiring Map: Cities and Regions Under Pressure
Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide emerge as key hotspots, representing the regions with the most significant recruitment activity.
Hardest-to-Fill Roles: Industries and Reposted Positions
Not all demand is equal. Some roles are hard to fill due to growth, others due to persistent difficulty in finding or retaining talent. This section identifies industries with high demand and roles frequently reposted.
Top Industries by Job Ads
Manufacturing & Fabrication, Construction & Building, and Automotive lead in job postings, followed by Professional & Office and Healthcare.
Most Reposted Roles
Roles like Rigger, Diesel Mechanic, and Field Service Technician are frequently reposted, signaling chronic hiring difficulty for many organizations.
Wrapping Up 2025: Persistent Demand for Skilled Roles
The data confirms Australia's skills shortage is real and persistent. Approximately 1 in 8 job ads are reposts, indicating chronic hiring difficulty rather than isolated vacancies.
Chronic Shortages
Employers repeatedly advertise for roles like diesel mechanics, riggers, and welders, highlighting enduring gaps in the local talent pool.
Quantified Pressure
This provides a clear, quantified picture of where the pressure is most intense for employers and policymakers.
Looking Forward: 2026 Recruitment Strategies
01
Focus on Chronic Shortage Roles
Identify your top 5-10 critical roles. Build dedicated hiring strategies, considering international recruitment when local efforts fail.
02
Time Hiring Around Q3 Spike
Job ad volumes peak in Q3 (July–September). Use Q1–Q2 for planning and pipelining to have shortlists ready before the surge.
03
Strategic International Recruitment
Prioritize international recruitment for roles and locations with persistent gaps. Use it strategically, not generically, after local searches.
Building Pathways and Tailoring Approaches
Progression Pathways
Develop structured pathways from tradespeople to project roles to reduce reliance on a limited project management talent pool.
Tailor by Location
In metro markets, compete on value proposition. In regional areas, plan for blended workforces and build medium-term partnerships.
Start planning your 2026 workforce strategy today
TPRC has almost 15 years' experience in identifying and placing skilled talent into Australia. We provide comprehensive end-to-end recruitment solutions.
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