The National Skills Commission has now been abolished with the passage of the Jobs and Skills Australia (National Skills Commissioner Repeal) Act 2022.
As of 16 November 2022, Jobs and Skills Australia commenced as an Australian Government statutory body.
Under the National Skills Commissioner Act 2020, the National Skills Commissioner was required to report annually on Australia’s current, emerging and future skills needs.
Australia’s current, emerging and future workforce skills needs
Australia’s current, emerging and future workforce skills needs 2022 is the National Skills Commission’s second annual report on labour market conditions now and into the future.
The report highlights that labour market conditions in Australia have been very strong over the past year. As a result the unemployment rate has fallen to levels not seen in close to 50 years. While labour market conditions have strengthened substantially in aggregate, employment growth across industries has been largely driven by just five of the 19 broad industry groups: health care and social assistance; professional scientific and technical services; retail trade; construction; and financial and insurance services.
Five-year employment projections indicate that jobs growth is expected to be highest across service industries and in jobs requiring higher level qualifications.
As Australia transitions to a net zero economy, new skills and jobs will be required across both traditional and emerging sectors.