For the first time in five years, software engineers are no longer in short supply in Australia, as new Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) data shows nationwide skill shortages are easing across most professions.
The Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) Occupational Shortage List 2025 found that just under a third of all roles are in national shortage – 293 out of 1,022 listed occupations.
This is a drop from 36 per cent in 2023 and 33 per cent in 2024.
According to the report, 29 jobs are newly in shortage, while 69 have moved off the list compared with last year.
JSA defines a shortage as an occupation where employers struggle to fill roles, based on the ratio of filled vacancies to total vacancies.
If this figure is less than 67 per cent, the occupation is deemed to be in shortage.
The tech skills gap eases
The data shows the tech talent gap may finally be easing, with several IT roles no longer listed as being in shortage.
Most notable is the role of software engineer, which has been listed as being in shortage every year since the JSA study began in 2021.
According to the new data, software engineers are no longer in shortage in any state or territory in Australia.
Other technology roles no longer in shortage in Australia include developer programmer, ICT quality assurance engineer, and penetration tester.
However, several cybersecurity-related roles have remained in shortage.
Cybersecurity governance, risk and compliance specialists are now in shortage everywhere except the Northern Territory, after previously being short only in New South Wales and Victoria last year.
Cybersecurity engineers and cybersecurity operations coordinators are still in shortage nationwide, as are software testers.
It has been estimated that 85,000 dedicated cybersecurity roles will need to be filled by 2030 to meet the evolving demands of the sector, with just over 125,000 people employed in the sector as of last year.
Meanwhile, the need for computer network and systems engineers has continued to decline.
The role was in shortage nationwide in 2023, and in the following year was in shortage just in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.
This year, the position is only in shortage in the Northern Territory.
Why the shortages exist
JSA identified the main causes of ongoing shortages as insufficiently qualified applicants, gaps in employability skills and experience, and low pay or poor working conditions in some industries.
The majority of roles no longer in shortage come from the ‘professionals’ group, particularly in business, finance, engineering and ICT roles.
“The results for these roles are consistent with various sectors in the labour market that are integrating artificial intelligence technology,” the JSA report said.
“The finance and technology sectors, especially, have progressed more in digital skills development, including generative AI tools, with emphasis on ensuring workers can effectively operate in AI-augmented roles.”
According to the JSA data, nearly half of all trade roles, and two in five ‘professional’ occupations are now in shortage, primarily in health, education and construction.
The data also shows that roles with greater gender balance or stronger representation of women, older workers, First Nations people and people with disability are far less likely to face shortages than male-dominated trades.
The latest report follows the trend from last year, which showed the first decline in ICT skills shortages since the JSA began collecting data in 2021.
