Australian industries that will see highest job growth in next five years revealed
Australia is set to see more than a million jobs created over the next five years. SEE FULL LIST OF BOOMING INDUSTRIES
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More than a million new jobs are forecast to hit the market by 2024, with health and care workers set to be the biggest winners.
New modelling from the federal Department of Jobs and Small Business predicted 1.075 million employment opportunities would be added across the workforce in the five years from May, 2019 – about 189,000 more than 2018’s five-year forecast.
Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash was confident this growth would be achieved.
“Since coming to government in 2013, almost 1.5 million jobs have been created,” she said.
“When the Government said employment would grow by 1 million jobs in five years, some said it couldn’t be achieved but we hit our target earlier than projected.”
Job growth to 2024 was expected to be driven by healthcare and social assistance (252,600 more roles), professional, scientific and technical services, which range from law to engineering to IT (172,400), education and training (129,300) and construction (113,700).
**SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL LIST OF INDUSTRIES**
Despite recent talk of a looming recession, NAB global head of research Ivan Colhoun backed the government forecasts, saying the figures were realistic.
“The government are saying they will see 215,000 jobs a year on average,” he said.
“It’s not an unachievable forecast.
“(NAB’s business survey) is saying about 18,000 jobs a month will be created, which is very close to the average rate the government is talking about.
“As long as the economy grows around 2.5 per cent I think they would be in with a shot of getting that kind of growth.”
Mr Colhoun said anyone forecasting a recession would not agree with the government projections but NAB was forecasting the economy would “pick up a little bit” in 2020.
“(In the next 12-24 months,) we think GDP rates will be somewhere between 2.25 and 2.5 per cent but that’s probably not quite enough to stop unemployment creeping up to 5.4 or 5.5 per cent from its current 5.25 per cent,” he said.
SEEK employment analyst Leigh Broderick said the job figures should be considered in the context of Australia’s growing population.
“Population growth is running at about 1.7 per cent a year so about 300,000 people a year over the age of 15,” he said.
“The majority of immigration is from people of working age.
“Adding a million jobs over five years is not that ambitious of a goal, it’s very achievable.”
Mr Broderick said demographic trends were a major driver behind job creation in the healthcare and social assistance industry, which included nursing, aged care and child care, and the education and training industry.
Meanwhile, job growth in professional, scientific and technical services was bolstered by demand for engineers to support public infrastructure and mining projects, and IT professionals as businesses upped their investment in software and data skills.
Mr Broderick’s advice for Year 12 school leavers, however, was to worry less about the specific job they wanted and instead gain broad skills that could be used across different sectors.
“Rather than thinking ‘I want to be an accountant or a teacher’, it’s much better to think ‘what are the skills I have now and what are the skills I need to develop to give me flexibility in my career’,” he said.
“The technical skills are going to be much more tied to a vocation … but softer skills, such as how you prioritise and engage with people, they will help you in any career.
“Choosing the right employer as much as the right job is important because the employer will create the environment through which you learn those skills.”
A SMART CAREER CHOICE: AGED CARE
More than 1.9 million people are expected to be working in Australia’s healthcare and social assistance industry by 2024, and Sydney’s James Davey plans to be one of them.
Mr Davey, 35, is studying a Certificate IV in Ageing Support through TAFE NSW with plans to work in aged care after graduating early next year.
“I truly believe it is an industry that is at a monumental turning point,” he said.
“It is an extremely demanding role, both physically and mentally, and I think it takes a particular disposition to work in the healthcare industry.
“I don’t feel that the general public realise the pool of resources – human, physical, logistical and financial – required to deliver the expected level of care on a single individual.”
Having lived in Japan for eight years, Mr Davey understood better than most the realities of an ageing population.
About 28 per cent of Japan’s population was 65 or older in 2018 compared to 16 per cent for Australia, according to The World Bank.
“I have seen first hand the pressures on the healthcare and pension systems and the dire need for a massive increase in aged care services,” he said.
“The Japanese have a concept called omotenashi, which translates to ‘selfless hospitality’, and I believe that this is the basis of delivering the best service experience possible to our older clientele and affording them the esteem that they deserve.
“Ultimately, we as care workers are there to serve the client and to make their daily lives memorable for all the right reasons.”
A SMART CAREER CHOICE: NURSING
Alecia Lagos, Ella McCarthy and Kerrie Read are setting themselves up to work in Australia’s booming healthcare and social assistance industry.
They are each studying a Diploma of Nursing through TAFE Queensland and are on track to graduate in the next year or two.
West End’s Ms Lagos, 20, said her goal was to land a job as an enrolled nurse then go on to train as a midwife.
“I just really always liked helping people,” she said.
“I love working with mums and babies and I want to bring new life into the world.
“I also have a lot of family members and close friends involved in nursing (and) my partner works in aged care.”
Ms McCarthy, 18, said she had always answered “nurse” when asked as a child “what do you want to be when you grow up?”.
“(The course) has been pretty challenging (especially because) I’m doing it online but once I am done, I can get into the work I have always dreamt of doing,” she said.
The Kuluin resident was not surprised her industry was forecast for significant job growth.
“You always need healthcare in your life,” she said.
Ms Read, 48, acknowledged the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) had also given the industry a boost.
The mental health worker from Mt Gravatt East aimed to complete her diploma then undertake further study specialising in mental health.
She said Year 12 graduates should consider a career in healthcare as “they will always have a job”.
“It’s tough, it’s hard but at the end of the day you walk away thinking ‘I helped someone today’ and that’s more rewarding than anything,” she said.
INDUSTRY EMPLOYMENT FORECASTS (2019-2024)
GROWING:
Healthcare and social assistance: 252,600 more jobs, up 15 per cent
Professional, scientific and technical services: 172,400 more jobs, up 15.1 per cent
Education and training: 129,300 more jobs, up 12.2 per cent
Construction: 113,700 more jobs, up 9.7 per cent
Accommodation and food services: 91,400 more jobs, up 10 per cent
Retail trade: 62,300 more jobs, up 4.8 per cent
Public administration and safety: 52,100 more jobs, up 6.2 per cent
Transport, postal and warehousing: 43,700 more jobs, up 6.6 per cent
Other services (including funeral directors, hairdressers, beauty therapists): 38,400 more jobs, up 7.4 per cent
Administrative and support services: 34,800 more jobs, up 7.7 per cent
Arts and recreation services: 26,700 more jobs, up 10.4 per cent
Financial and insurance services: 20,400 more jobs, up 4.6 per cent
Mining: 15,400 more jobs, up 6.2 per cent
Rental, hiring and real estate services: 12,300 more jobs, up 5.7 per cent
Wholesale trade: 10,400 more jobs, up 2.6 per cent
Electricity, gas, water and waste services: 6800 more jobs, up 4.4 per cent
SHRINKING:
Information media and telecommunications: 600 fewer jobs, down 0.3 per cent
Manufacturing: 3400 fewer jobs, down 0.4 per cent
Agriculture, forestry and fishing: 3800 fewer jobs, down 1.2 per cent
Source: Australian Government’s 2019 Industry Employment Projections Report
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