Australia Still Needs Skilled Workers: What the Talent Gap Means for You

News · 2026-09-30 · 4 min read

You may have heard that hiring in Australia has slowed down. Here is the good news for skilled workers: plenty of employers there are still struggling to fill key roles. The problem is not that Australia has run out of people. It is that the skills employers need are not always available where and when they need them.

Good news for Filipino talent and others abroad

New research from Remote shows Australian employers are increasingly hiring outside the country. Comparing July 2025 with July 2026, hires coming from the Philippines went up 108%. Hires from India climbed 89%, and those from the US grew 55%.

The roles in demand are telling too. Over that same period, Australian demand for senior software engineers hired from overseas jumped 141%. Game developers were up 100%, software engineers 86%, and QA specialists 42%. So whether you are working in the Middle East, back home in the Philippines or anywhere else, specialist skills are being noticed.

How hard is it for Australian businesses to find people?

Very hard, says the same Remote study. A full 88% of Australian businesses told researchers that getting qualified local staff became tougher in the past year. Around the world, the figure was 78%. Almost eight in ten (79%) said they had fallen short on an important business goal because they could not find the talent.

Australia's Parliament is hearing the same story. Its inquiry into skilled migration was told the country struggles to bring in and hold on to critical tech workers in fields like artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and energy. Science and Technology Australia added that the local STEM pipeline is under pressure, with demand growing in AI, AUKUS, cyber, quantum and net zero.

Why employers cannot just wait

Of course, Australia needs to train more of its own people in these areas. But producing graduates takes years. A company that needs a cybersecurity lead or senior engineer this quarter simply cannot hold off that long. That is why many employers now begin by asking what skills they need first, and only then think about where the person will come from.

Two different things: sponsoring workers and offshoring jobs

It helps to know the difference. One approach is hiring from abroad to get skills that are hard to find. Another is shifting existing Australian jobs overseas mostly to save money. Both involve working across borders, but they solve different problems, and hiring globally should not take the place of investing in Australian workers.

What employers are being advised to do

Name the skill first. Then decide whether to train someone, hire locally, sponsor a migrant or hire remotely.
Match the pathway to the job. Some roles need a person on site, and skilled migration can fill exactly those gaps.
Handle the paperwork properly. Each new country comes with its own rules on employment law, tax, payroll and benefits, so compliant systems are important.
Keep growing local staff. Businesses should also train junior team members, support current employees, and check whether training or internal moves could fill a role.

Australia is building its own pipeline as well

Overseas hiring can plug an urgent gap, but it is not a substitute for long-term investment. Schools, vocational training and professional development need to line up better with future industry needs. Australia also needs clearer paths for people early in their careers and simpler ways for experienced workers to reskill.

Skilled migration brings in expertise now, while local training prepares the next wave. The country needs both.

Ano ang ibig sabihin nito? Your next steps

A slower job market does not make specialist shortages disappear, and overall employment numbers cannot show whether available workers have the right skills. Employers who look at skills first, and use every pathway including skilled migration, are the ones building the strongest teams.

If you are thinking of a career in Australia, focus on building in-demand skills and keeping your documents ready. Check the official Australian government immigration website or a registered migration agent to learn which visa options may suit your situation.

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