The 2026 Occupation Shortage List: what changed and what it means
Settledin Team6 min readJobs and Skills Australia (JSA) released the 2026 Occupation Shortage List in October 2026. It found 279 of 1,021 assessed occupations (27%) in national shortage, 2 percentage points below 2025 (29%) and 9 below the 2023 peak (36%). It is a labour market assessment, not a visa occupation list.
Figures from JSA's 2026 OSL Key Findings Report, October 2026.
What is the Occupation Shortage List?
The Occupation Shortage List (OSL) is produced by Jobs and Skills Australia. JSA's report says it is released annually and is "a point-in-time assessment of occupations in the Australian labour market".
Each occupation gets one of four ratings: Shortage, Metropolitan shortage, Regional shortage or No shortage. JSA says the report is intended to provide insights that could assist government, Jobs and Skills Councils, industry, and education and training providers with workforce planning, policy development and labour market analysis.
What are the headline numbers for 2026?
JSA's Key Findings Report presents results on the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) basis.
| Measure | 2026 OSL |
|---|---|
| Assessed occupations | 1,021 |
| In national shortage | 279 (27%) |
| Share in shortage in 2025 | 29% |
| Share in shortage at the 2023 peak | 36% |
| Still in shortage from 2025 | 251 |
| Moved into shortage | 28 |
| Moved out of shortage | 42 |
| In shortage in regional areas only | 15 (21 in 2025) |
| In shortage in every OSL from 2021 to 2026 | 127 |
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 OSL Key Findings Report, October 2026, pages 4 to 6 and Appendix A.
JSA says shortages "continued to ease from the peak reached in 2023". It links the result to gradual labour market softening over the 12 months to July 2026. Jockey was excluded from the 2026 scope, so JSA also removed it from earlier years in its comparisons.
Persistent shortages were most common among Technicians and Trades Workers (69 of the 127) and Professionals (46).
What is new in 2026?
- National ratings only. Methodology footnote 22 says that in earlier years JSA published accepted state ratings alongside the OSL, and that "From 2026, these ratings will no longer be published." JSA says this avoids any misunderstanding that they represent its own assessment of conditions in each state and territory. So the 2026 list does not say whether an occupation is in shortage in a particular state.
- Two lists. JSA publishes a 6-digit list (ANZSCO and OSCA) and a 4-digit unit group list.
- Shortage drivers. JSA's Occupation Shortage Drivers report sorts shortages into three drivers: an education and training gap, a retention gap and a suitability gap. JSA describes a retention gap as employers being "unable to retain workers", and a suitability gap as having enough qualified applicants who are "not deemed suitable by employers".
Which occupations moved into or out of shortage?
JSA's own counts above are on the OSCA basis. The tables below use JSA's 6-digit ANZSCO 2022 file, which is the code set used on Settledin's occupation pages. Settledin compared JSA's 2025 and 2026 ratings for each code on 22 October 2026, so the counts differ from JSA's OSCA counts. On this basis the 2026 list rates 915 occupations: 239 Shortage, 13 Regional shortage and 663 No shortage.
| Change | Occupations |
|---|---|
| No shortage to Shortage | 18 |
| Regional shortage to Shortage | 6 |
| Metropolitan shortage to Shortage | 1 |
| Shortage to No shortage | 36 |
| Regional shortage to No shortage | 5 |
| Shortage to Regional shortage | 2 |
| No shortage to Regional shortage | 2 |
| No shortage to not rated (Jockey, out of scope) | 1 |
In total 71 ratings changed. Chef, Developer Programmer and Mechanical Engineer moved into shortage. The visa routes for chefs are set out in the chef PR pathway. Software Tester, Cyber Security Engineer and Primary School Teacher moved out. For some occupations you can also see job ads at employers on the Home Affairs sponsor list, such as chef jobs, registered nurse jobs and electrician jobs.
Now in shortage
| Code | Occupation | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 121316 | Horse Breeder | No shortage | Shortage |
| 212316 | Stage Manager | No shortage | Shortage |
| 212317 | Technical Director | No shortage | Shortage |
| 231299 | Marine Transport Professionals nec | No shortage | Shortage |
| 233411 | Electronics Engineer | No shortage | Shortage |
| 233512 | Mechanical Engineer | No shortage | Shortage |
| 251212 | Medical Radiation Therapist | Regional shortage | Shortage |
| 254424 | Registered Nurse (Surgical) | Regional shortage | Shortage |
| 261312 | Developer Programmer | No shortage | Shortage |
| 261317 | Penetration Tester | No shortage | Shortage |
| 262115 | Cyber Security Advice and Assessment Specialist | No shortage | Shortage |
| 272314 | Psychotherapist | No shortage | Shortage |
| 312312 | Electrical Engineering Technician | Metropolitan shortage | Shortage |
| 342313 | Electronic Equipment Trades Worker | Regional shortage | Shortage |
| 351112 | Pastrycook | Regional shortage | Shortage |
| 351311 | Chef | Regional shortage | Shortage |
| 361116 | Track Rider | No shortage | Shortage |
| 363114 | Horticultural Supervisor or Specialist | No shortage | Shortage |
| 399611 | Signwriter | No shortage | Shortage |
| 399913 | Optical Dispenser / Dispensing Optician | No shortage | Shortage |
| 452316 | Tennis Coach | No shortage | Shortage |
| 721211 | Earthmoving Plant Operator (General) | Regional shortage | Shortage |
| 733115 | Tow Truck Driver | No shortage | Shortage |
| 831211 | Meat Boner and Slicer | No shortage | Shortage |
| 899415 | Tyre Fitter | No shortage | Shortage |
No longer in shortage
| Code | Occupation | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 224111 | Actuary | Shortage | No shortage |
| 232611 | Urban and Regional Planner | Regional shortage | No shortage |
| 233212 | Geotechnical Engineer | Shortage | No shortage |
| 233915 | Environmental Engineer | Shortage | No shortage |
| 234111 | Agricultural Consultant | Shortage | No shortage |
| 234413 | Hydrogeologist | Shortage | No shortage |
| 241213 | Primary School Teacher | Shortage | No shortage |
| 251311 | Environmental Health Officer | Regional shortage | No shortage |
| 251999 | Health Diagnostic and Promotion Professionals nec | Shortage | No shortage |
| 253314 | Medical Oncologist | Shortage | No shortage |
| 253512 | Cardiothoracic Surgeon | Shortage | No shortage |
| 253517 | Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon | Shortage | No shortage |
| 253521 | Vascular Surgeon | Shortage | No shortage |
| 254414 | Registered Nurse (Community Health) | Shortage | No shortage |
| 254416 | Registered Nurse (Developmental Disability) | Shortage | No shortage |
| 254418 | Registered Nurse (Medical) | Regional shortage | No shortage |
| 261314 | Software Tester | Shortage | No shortage |
| 261315 | Cyber Security Engineer | Shortage | No shortage |
| 262118 | Cyber Security Operations Coordinator | Shortage | No shortage |
| 272313 | Organisational Psychologist | Shortage | No shortage |
| 312212 | Civil Engineering Technician | Shortage | No shortage |
| 322312 | Pressure Welder | Shortage | No shortage |
| 323411 | Engineering Patternmaker | Shortage | No shortage |
| 341112 | Electrician (Special Class) | Shortage | No shortage |
| 361112 | Horse Trainer | Shortage | No shortage |
| 361311 | Veterinary Nurse | Shortage | No shortage |
| 392211 | Graphic Pre-press Trades Worker | Shortage | No shortage |
| 399112 | Shipwright | Shortage | No shortage |
| 399516 | Sound Technician | Shortage | No shortage |
| 711313 | Sawmilling Operator | Shortage | No shortage |
| 711314 | Other Wood Processing Machine Operator | Shortage | No shortage |
| 711515 | Reinforced Plastic and Composite Production Worker | Shortage | No shortage |
| 712111 | Crane, Hoist or Lift Operator | Shortage | No shortage |
| 721111 | Agricultural and Horticultural Mobile Plant Operator | Regional shortage | No shortage |
| 721912 | Linemarker | Shortage | No shortage |
| 721914 | Railway Track Plant Operator | Shortage | No shortage |
| 721915 | Road Roller Operator | Shortage | No shortage |
| 731311 | Train Driver | Regional shortage | No shortage |
| 821611 | Railway Track Worker | Shortage | No shortage |
| 821714 | Structural Steel Erector | Shortage | No shortage |
| 899211 | Deck Hand | Shortage | No shortage |
Regional shortage moves
| Code | Occupation | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 133111 | Construction Project Manager | Shortage | Regional shortage |
| 234915 | Exercise Physiologist | No shortage | Regional shortage |
| 272199 | Counsellors nec | No shortage | Regional shortage |
| 323315 | Saw Doctor | Shortage | Regional shortage |
Ratings as published by JSA in the 2025 and 2026 OSLs, 6-digit ANZSCO 2022 file, compared 22 October 2026. Occupations without a link have no Settledin page.
Is the Occupation Shortage List a visa list?
No. The OSL is a JSA assessment of the labour market.
The occupation lists used for skilled visas are separate: Home Affairs' skilled occupation lists page names the Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL), the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL) and the Regional Occupation List (ROL). The OSL does not appear on that page. Each state and territory also sets its own nomination lists, such as the NSW Skills List and Victoria's priority occupations.
Settledin's visa occupation lists and the CSOL show the lists that apply to visas. States and territories also use their own lists; our state nomination tracker follows each program. A skills assessment is a separate step again: see how a skills assessment works.
How can you check an occupation?
JSA's two spreadsheets give the rating for every occupation. Settledin's occupation pages cover each ANZSCO occupation, and the occupations in the tables above link to theirs.
FAQ
When was the 2026 Occupation Shortage List released?
JSA released it in October 2026, and its Key Findings Report is dated October 2026. This post reads the documents as published on 23 October 2026.
Is my occupation in shortage?
Find the occupation in JSA's 6-digit list, or in the tables above if its rating changed. The list gives a national rating only.
Does shortage mean a visa is available?
No. Visa occupation lists are set separately and are published by Home Affairs. See the visa lists above.
Is there still a shortage list for each state?
JSA's 2026 list is national only. Its methodology says state ratings will no longer be published from 2026.
What does regional shortage mean?
JSA's report defines it as an occupation "in shortage in regional areas only".
Settledin's occupation pages cover each ANZSCO occupation.
This article describes published Jobs and Skills Australia and Department of Home Affairs information. It is general information, not migration advice. For advice on your situation, speak to a registered migration agent. Check the register.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List, October 2026.