The list of Australia's most desperately needed workers has emerged, with some roles offering six-figure salaries for those willing to learn.
Tens of thousands of workers are needed to fill jobs in some of Australia's most crucial sectors, with experts promising even entry level roles can lead to more lucrative opportunities later.
Job platform SEEK has put a spotlight on the most in-demand jobs within the manufacturing, transport, retail and trades industries, revealing a desperate need for almost 10,630 retail store managers.
There's also a shortage of more than 8500 truck drivers and nearly 6500 electricians, the SEEK research reveals.
SEEK senior economist Blair Chapman hoped the data would help those making decisions about future careers.
These insights are designed to help Australians better understand the current shape of the job market – where opportunities are and which sectors are calling out for talent, he said.
Knowing which roles are in the highest demand can give jobseekers a sense of where their skills might be most valued or where there's likely to be steady hiring activity.
THE JOBS THAT NEED MORE WORKERS
Although cost of living pressures had impacted the retail sector in recent years, renewed consumer demand had increased the need for store managers and sales assistants, as well as merchandisers and customer service representatives, Mr Chapman said.
Australia's housing crisis was causing ongoing demand for tradies, particularly electricians, plumbers and carpenters, he said.
Mechanics were also in short supply, according to the SEEK research.
Mr Chapman said while the manufacturing, transport and logistics sector had long suffered worker shortages, demand had further intensified.
Part of the ongoing demand for these roles, like delivery driver, picker and packer and warehouse assistant can be attributed to more households shopping online and doing so more frequently than in the past, he said.
Roles like truck drivers are also seeing demand come from the large-scale infrastructure projects and construction that has been taking place across a lot of regions in recent years.
GETTING OUT FROM BEHIND THE DESK
Worker shortages in the transport sector were no surprise to Road Freight NSW chief executive officer Simon O'Hara, who said attracting new recruits was challenging, despite some salaries reaching more than $100,000.
This view that everyone has to be in some sort of managerial (desk-based) role (to earn a high wage) is just not true in the current environment,'' Mr O'Hara said.
There are truckies out there earning in excess of $100,000 a year … and they're not at a desk and they're not sitting there and having to necessarily answer to someone immediately above them who's just pushing paper.
What they (truck drivers) are doing is something meaningful in terms of moving cargo from one point to the other, which has a direct effect on the state of the community.
Mr O'Hara said while long haul truckies often spent long periods away from home, forklift drivers and other logistics workers were often able to maintain traditional 9-5 hours, which could appeal to those with young families.
PATHWAY TO A HIGHER-PAID ROLE
Career Confident director Helen Green said the roles listed in the SEEK research provided plenty of opportunities for career growth.
However, she warned some of the data, particularly related to the retail and logistics sectors, could be distorted by hiring spikes in the lead-up to Christmas.
While noting many of the in-demand jobs came with relatively low salaries, Ms Green said it was important to consider job stability, progression opportunities and how the role matched with a jobseeker's values, strengths and lifestyle.
In many cases, the jobs could pave the way to more lucrative positions in the future, she said.
Many young people acquire terrific employability skills from working in sectors like retail and hospitality, even if it's not their long-term career plan, Ms Green said.
It's important to realise that young people today are expected to have five or six careers. Even if you're in a lower-paid role, if you're picking up transferable skills it could lead to a higher-paid role later.
SECURITY FOR THE FUTURE
After finishing Year 12, Janan Daniel considered undertaking a biological science degree at university but a brief stint as a labourer at his dad's bricklaying business changed his direction.
He instead undertook an apprenticeship as a bricklayer – which falls under the broader category of trades labourer, a role that is currently experiencing high demand – and has been busy with work ever since.
I wasn't sure where (university) was going to lead me and if it was going to be worth my while but doing a trade felt like something that would really offer me a future, said Mr Daniel, who has since started his own business, JMD Bricklaying.
I wanted to make sure I was always going to be busy and have that income coming in.
Even if it's not bricklaying – if you wanted to do electrical or plumbing – just learning a trade and doing something with your hands will always be a good skill to have (for long-term employment).
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/back-australia/worker-shortages-revealed-across-major-aussie-industries-and-where-the-most-indemand-jobs-are/news-story/e12820c6a4989fa03b47066539621aaa
